What Fools These Mortals Be
by GellsBells
Summary: The Riverdale Community Theatre is staging: "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Betty Cooper sees this as an opportunity to make the company's most sought-after actor, Archie Andrews, hers. Unfortunately, new girl in town, Veronica Lodge has scored a lead role, putting her directly opposite Archie. Jughead Jones is unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight. Eventual Bughead.
1. The Play's The Thing

_Big shout out to the awesome Jandjsalmon who is beta'ing and is amazing. She is a cornerstone of this fandom and I am so happy to have her help with bringing this story to life._

 _Also thank you to zombiekittiez who is answering my questions around the intricacies of community theatre, it has really helped me in visualising and creating this story._

"I cannot just stand by and watch you do this again," Kevin Keller huffed, watching his blonde best friend as she adjusted herself in the mirror. Betty Cooper had asked him to come by before the first meeting of their community theatre group, to give her a pep talk and to help her choose an outfit. He was not entirely holding up his side of the bargain though, instead he was trying to talk her out of whatever elaborate plan she had this time.

"You make it sound so dramatic, Kevin." She looked at him briefly before turning back to her reflection. Betty was trying to decide between two lip shades, 'perfect pink' or 'seductive red'. Her fingers itched to choose the scarlet shade, but as she applied the colour she immediately changed her mind and wiped it off, returning to her signature shade. She liked to play it safe, and tonight she needed the comfort of the usual.

"Every year you make moon eyes at him and every year he ends up bedding another member of the cast," Kevin said, not unkindly, more matter of fact. He didn't like to hurt her, but sometimes he had to tell it like it was.

"Well then it's about time that it's my turn," Betty answered in her typical, self-depreciating humour. She knew pining was a silly thing for a grown woman to do. Chasing the boy around like a puppy, begging at his heels for any bit of attention he would throw her way.

Kevin scowled, upset that she thought so little of herself.

"Oh don't look at me like that, it was a joke," she added rolling her eyes, a half-truth.

"Betty, you know I love you, but don't make a fool of yourself this year." His tone was serious. He swore everyone in the damn group knew the feelings that Betty had for Archie, except Archie – who was a great actor but extraordinarily oblivious on the best of days.

"God, Kevin! You make me sound like a silly school girl," she huffed, twirling her flaring skirt as she faced him, her make-up now flawless, looking every bit as perfect as everyone thought she was.

"Your words," he quipped with a smirk before she grabbed a cushion from the nearby couch and threw it at him. Chuckling, Kevin caught it before it could hit his face and threw it back at her gently.

She knew what her friend was saying was true, it wasn't like this was new thing. It happened every year without fail when the gang got back together to perform. Good old Betty Cooper was there being her perfect self, waiting for any tiny glimmer of an opportunity with Archie Andrews to roll around... but every year it was like she didn't even exist to him as more than just a friend. Another year and another production meant yet another chance for him to see what he had been missing, for him to see her.

"So, great director of ours, what play are you having us do this year?" She asked, finally taking a seat next to him on the couch. She was flattering him to change the subject, and not being so subtle about it.

Kevin knew what she was doing, but let it go for now. "I have something special planned, a classic, Shakespeare," he answered with an excited smile. He looked forward to these plays each year. The RCTC was a small community group with only enough funding to produce one show a year, but every year he made sure it was as grand as it could possibly be. Auditions were always open to the entire community but the usual suspects seemed to always turn out – of course, Betty being one of them. She had been performing with him in them since they were in high school, side by side until Kevin had been offered the position of director which he had been only too eager to accept.

Not that the job was easy by any stretch of the imagination. Keeping the private lives of his actors separate from the production was usually his main challenge. The 'Betty and Archie Saga' was a perpetual thorn in his side. He loved Betty, he _did_ , but the poor girl just did not know when to quit. Most people would have been turned down once and accepted it, but good old Betty Cooper always came back for more.

If it wasn't for Archie's ability and talent to bring in the crowds, Kevin would have eliminated him from the show completely just to spare her - and in turn himself - from the heartache and drama. But he was talented and handsome and that combination brought in the young girls and their mothers which just so happened to be their main audience in town.

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" she pronounced dramatically, her hands making flourishes as she collapsed back onto the couch, with a giggle. Kevin couldn't help but smile back at her. She was sunshine. Bright green eyes and blonde hair, with a laugh that made the birds envious and a heart that was genuine and kind. All he wanted to do was find her a nice man, a good man. All he wanted was for her to be happy and content. That plan did not and could not involve Archie Andrews.

"I don't think so, Juliet. I can only imagine the torment that you would inflict upon me if I gave the role of Juliet to anyone else."

"Yeah. Probably for the best," she confirmed with a snicker.

"Something a little light though. I think a comedy." He noticed her eyes light up at this. "Something with clever dialogue and witty banter, deception and disguise. Mistaken identities and twists and turns. Something fun."

"Well, now I am intrigued, are you going tell me?" she asked, sidling closer to him on the couch, her bottom lip pouting in that way that girls do subconsciously when they want something from the opposite sex. It was something that never worked on Kevin.

"And take away the surprise? I think not," he replied, and Betty slumped back on the couch, defeated.

"You do have a flair for the dramatic, Kev," she sighed but with a smile.

"I think that's why they made me the director," He chuckled at her eye roll and helped her up from the couch.

Betty had arrived to the theatre for their meeting early to help Kevin with set up. She was busying herself with setting out the teas and coffees when she saw _him_ enter the room. It was cliché she knew, but she could swear her heart skipped a beat when she saw Archie Andrews walk through the door. She had worshipped him since high school. Back when she had been the nerdy girl with the glasses with the gay best friend. He hadn't even given her a second glance back then. When she had first seen him turn up for auditions, a year after graduation, she knew that this was her second chance.

Betty had grown up in that year apart. Her confidence in herself had become secure, a year in New York had enabled that. After a year of studying at Columbia, she had returned home for the summer to take part in one last performance, imagining that once her education was finished and her career took off that she wouldn't have time to indulge in this guilty pleasure. Little did she know how soon she would be returning to this town to never leave again.

She broke herself out of her reminiscent thoughts before they took her further down a path that she couldn't deal with right now, and focused instead on the red-headed man who had entered the small community theatre. She swore each year he was more handsome than the year before, and a familiar heat rose to her cheeks.

"Archie, hey," she called out with what she hoped was a nonchalant smile. Her fingers brushed down her skirt as she tried to make her nerves still. She jogged over to him as he continued his path to the stage.

"Oh hey, Betty." He slowed down a little for her to catch up.

"So, what have you been up to?" she asked, trying to simultaneously catch her breath and sound as casual as she could. She was twisting a strand of hair from her pony tail in between her fingers, a nervous habit that she could only hope played off as flirtatious.

"Well, working on my music mostly. Helping Dad out at the construction site. Had some gigs in New York too," he offered, and Betty nodded eagerly.

"Wow! So this music thing is really taking off then?" she exclaimed. Of course, Betty knew full well that it was. She was a regular Facebook stalker and Archie literally had nothing private.

"Yeah, well it was just a few gigs, nothing big." He shrugged.

"Still you're out there making an impact." She assured him.

"You still at Riverdale High?" She knew he was going to ask, but was happy that he had at least remembered where she worked.

"Yeah, I mean I have some extra responsibilities, team leader for the English department." She said proudly, even though she was very aware of how her achievements stacked up to his. She wasn't exploring New York, following her dreams like he was. She had followed her dreams once and it hadn't quite worked out, but she was happy with her teaching position, she enjoyed imparting knowledge and being able to open the world of literature to her students made her happy.

"Do you have any idea what Kevin is cooking up for us?" Archie gave her that charming smile and she felt the ground fall from beneath her feet yet again.

"Only that it is a Shakespearean comedy. He wouldn't divulge anything further," she sighed and unconsciously tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear.

"Well, you got more out of him than me." He smiled again at her and she took a deep breath. This was it, she was going to do it, before she lost her nerve again.

"Anyway, Arch I was thinking…" she started but was curtailed by the ruckus of the other theatre members on the other side of the stage.

"Okay, guys, gather round. I think all the RSVPs are here. Reggie, you can have more of the snacks in a minute," Kevin shouted over to the snacks table where Reggie was currently shovelling food into his mouth.

He grabbed a few more items in a napkin before walking over to the centre of the stage to stand next to Betty. Characteristically, Reggie Mantle's eyes lingered a little too long, drifting momentarily over her body, causing her to cross her arms over her chest subconsciously and glower at him. She watched Archie, who was now standing next to one of his old football buddies, Moose Mason. Kevin had dated Moose briefly during the production last year but it had ended on closing night much to Kevin's dismay. He and Betty had sat on the couch both eating triple fudge sundaes from Pop's that night, commiserating in each other's heartbreak.

"Techies, you too this way, don't slink off into the background. I can see you." The tech crew looked at each other nervously before making their way over to where the actors had already gathered. "And welcome back, Jughead. Glad you decided to join in again this year." Betty looked towards the sullen figure that she had been trying to avoid eye contact with since he had arrived. Trademark beanie secured on his head, a passive look to his face as he, reluctantly moved from his position against the wall to stand with his fellow tech members.

"You may have heard some rumblings that we will be turning our hand to something a little more theatrical and classic this year." Kevin threw a pointed look at Betty who he was sure had already divulged information from their chat that afternoon to the majority of the company by now. She shrugged her shoulders at him, blinking her big doe eyes and feigning innocence. "This will be the first year we attempt something from the great Bard himself, but I have faith that you will all be able to handle it with the same poise and dedication with which you have handled every other production."

"Well don't keep us waiting, Kevin, which play are we doing?" Cheryl Blossom piped up, her patience wearing thin already with Kevin's monologue.

"Thank you, Cheryl. I was getting there." He mumbled under his breath. "This year Riverdale's Community Theatre Company will be staging a production of Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_."

Betty let out a squeal and immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, attempting to muffle the sound. The other members looked at her with wide eyes following the outburst. Blushing and somewhat more subdued, she shuffled her feet in excitement instead. It was perfect! Kevin gave her a knowing nod, before he continued to outline the play and the schedule for the next few weeks. Everyone nodding attentively.

While the rest of the company followed along with Kevin, Jughead Jones continued to stare at her after her outburst and she mouthed an irritated 'What?' at him. When he shook his head at her, his expression something she couldn't quite read. She stuck out her tongue at him, childish as it was. He rolled his eyes at her, looking away and continued to chat with Dilton Doiley, sharing a private joke, chuckling between themselves.

When Kevin had finished and the company had been dismissed she made her way over to her friend and director.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream! Kevin it is perfect." She gave another delighted squeal as she hugged him tightly. "You know that is one of my favourites." She smiled brightly up at him and once she released him from her hold he was able to resume breathing.

"So, can I presume that you plan on auditioning?" he questioned already knowing her answer.

"Do you even have to ask?" Her eyes scanned the room looking for Archie only to find he must have already left with the rest of the old football team, probably to catch up, _probably to pick up girls_ that nagging little voice in her head told her. She couldn't hide the disappointment on her face.

"Come on, Blondie. Sundaes at Pop's to celebrate. My treat." Kevin put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him as the two friends left the theatre together.

 _Thank you for reading my first chapter, I hope you enjoyed, please leave a comment to let me know what you think, or a kudos if you enjoyed it._

 _I will be attempting to update this regularly as possible with at least one update per week, possibly more depending on how much my brain decides to co-operate. :)_


	2. When My Cue Comes, Call Me

**A/N: Thank you so much for the review, and for those who have favourited and followed this story. Also thank you to jandjsalmon for beta'ing.**

"So, Betty." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him immediately, greeting him with a smile. "What can we expect from you today?"

"I was thinking… Titania." Betty watched his face carefully to gauge his reaction. She valued Kevin's opinion on these things not only as a director who was aware of her strengths and weaknesses but also as her friend. Betty aimed to be a people pleaser.

"Oh, Betty." His eyes lit up. "That would be perfect. Strong, beautiful, regal." Then, as if a grand realisation had just come over him. "Oh My Gosh! The costume!" Kevin clapped his hands together in excitement, so clearly picturing it in his mind. "I have something very special planned."

"Yeah and I heard Archie is auditioning for Oberon, so…"

Kevin let out a frustrated groan at her remark and the smile quickly disappeared from his face, replaced by his look of disappointment reserved for just these occasions.

"Betty, really." She could hear the frustration in his voice, mixed with what she assumed was pity. She felt once again like a foolish child.

"Don't start, Kevin." Her defences were up, and he had resigned himself that if he hadn't been able to change her mind about Archie a long time ago, he probably wasn't ever going to. That still didn't mean he wasn't going to take every opportunity to try.

Before Kevin could once again launch into the very long list of reasons why Betty should give up this game, the small community theatre was filled with the distinctive sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floors.

Betty turned in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman about her age with dark hair, in a purple tight fitting dress, pearls adorning her slim neck. She was beautiful, but more than that she was confident, Betty could almost see it rolling off her in waves. Kevin held up his finger to Betty indicating that he was not done with her yet as he approached the newcomer.

"Welcome. Can we help you? Please say we can help you?" He was intrigued by her keen sense of style, her dress was obviously Designer, not a common occurrence in their little town.

"Is this where the auditions are being held for the community theatrical," she asked.

"It most certainly is! I'm Kevin Keller, Director extraordinaire." He offered his hand out to her, raising his brow as she paused before taking it in her smaller one and shaking lightly.

"Veronica Lodge, I just moved to town and am a keen lover of the arts. Also, I don't know anyone here and thought it would be good to meet some like-minded people." She lowered her voice in a whisper just for his ears. "Before I change my mind and pack up my bags to get the hell out of this town." Kevin couldn't keep the smile off his face at that.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to make it last night. Other... business." She didn't elaborate any further.

"Well, Veronica, I am a hard task master and expect commitment from all involved. Do you have something prepared? We'll be starting auditions soon."

"Of course." The dark haired woman flashed him a smile and Betty noticed her eyes flitting to Archie. It didn't take a rocket surgeon to note that he, along with most of the rest of the company was already fascinated with the mysterious brunette.

It wasn't too long until Archie and the rest of his posse approached the new girl, each taking turns in welcoming her to the group. Betty had never felt more invisible in her life. She watched on as Veronica talked to them all with such ease and lightness. Noticing her soft touches on their arms, the flirtatious and easy smile that graced her face. It wasn't long before Betty felt something familiar twist inside her, _jealousy_.

Veronica had offered to audition first, Betty never went first, always in the middle, that was her tradition, that was her comfort zone.

Veronica approached the stage, those heels once again clicking across hardwood as she centred herself in front of the microphone.

"My name is Veronica Lodge and I am auditioning for the role of Hermia." Betty couldn't help the feeling of relief that washed over her, at least she would be in a separate storyline to her, and to Archie.

Kevin nodded his head indicating to Veronica to start her audition.

"Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best  
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!  
Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!  
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear:  
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,  
And you sat smiling at his cruel pray.  
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!  
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?  
Alack, where are you speak, an if you hear;  
Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.  
No? then I well perceive you all not nigh  
Either death or you I'll find immediately."

She delivered her lines perfectly, of course she did. There was a slight pause before the rest of the company clapped and Betty's eyes turned towards Kevin who was nodding and making notes in his little book. She could feel the pressure start to mount within her as she squeezed tightly her nails into the beds of her palms. Betty was practised at relieving the tension in her body in a way that would bring no attention to herself. The familiar sting brought her back into the present where Kevin was now announcing for Archie to make his way up.

Veronica gave a little curtsy before she made her way off the stage, not subtle about how her eyes lingered on the man replacing her at the microphone.

Archie approached the stage and Betty felt her own sharp intake of breath. Under the lights of the stage, his ginger hair was almost luminous. The sharp features of his jaw catching the light and his broad shoulders filling out the jacket he was wearing. He really was perfect.

"Okay Archie you have the stage, what part will you be reading for?"

"I'll be reading for Lysander," he answered smoothly.

Betty had a look of confusion cross her face. When she had spoken to Moose and Reggie yesterday they had been clear that Archie had been planning on auditioning for Oberon. She turned towards Kevin immediately, the raise of her eyebrows and tilt of her head imploring him to pry further.

"You didn't have another part in mind?" Kevin asked cautiously. It wasn't that he particularly cared which role Archie auditioned for, but he knew he would get it in the neck from Betty if he didn't take the opportunity to question him further.

"I'm wanting to take on a smaller role this year to give someone else a chance in the limelight," the redhead said, shrugging his shoulders. Betty spun back around in her seat, her mind racing. Titania and Lysander shared no scenes whatsoever they were in different story lines, they would rehearse separately she would have no interaction with him at all, and another year, another opportunity would slip away just like that.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard a snigger from the techie operating the lights. Her eyes flitted to where the sound came from. Jughead, of course. It was no secret that the two of them were not friendly. The whole company knew. Though none of them knew _why_.

"Something to add, Jughead?" Kevin whipped around to the direction the spotlight was coming from. It seemed she was not the only one who heard him.

"Just in awe of our star's selflessness for the good of the company," he replied snarkily before returning to concentrate on the job at hand. Kevin sighed and made a motion with his hand for Archie to continue his audition.

"I am, my lord, as well derived as he,  
As well possess'd; my love is more than his;  
My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,"

Usually Betty would be watching Archie's audition, giving him her full attention. Instead, she was rifling in her handbag, furiously looking for the worn copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream that she had brought with her.

"If not with vantage, as Demetrius';  
And, which is more than all these boasts can be,  
I am beloved of beauteous Hermia:"

She flipped to Hermia's lines, coming across the speech that had just been delivered by Veronica confident that she could do it. She had been performing since she knew how to talk, a short piece like this should pose no challenge at all. Never mind that she had been up until the early hours of the morning reading and performing her audition for Titania.

"Why should not I then prosecute my right?  
Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,  
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,  
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,  
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,  
Upon this spotted and inconstant man."

She looked up again from her page to see Archie finishing, an applause from the rest of the company who were watching and then a couple of hoots from the boys. Archie gave an exaggerated bow before strutting off the stage.

"Betty Cooper you're up." Kevin announced. She straightened up from her chair and made her way to the stage, pulling her pony tail tighter as she climbed up the small set of steps.

She made a move to the microphone stand, nervously readjusting it to match her height. Kevin looked at her smiling encouragingly.

"Umm," she started into the microphone which gave off a loud screech of feedback like every nightmare she could have possibly had about this exact situation. "I am reading for Hermia," she managed to get out, to several raised eyebrows in the small theatre.

Kevin sighed knowingly, at her decision. "Go on," he encouraged nonetheless.

Betty nodded and took a final deep breath before starting her lines.

"Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best, To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!" "Ay me, for pity! what a dream was here!."

She caught them out of the corner of her eye. Veronica was leaning up against the stage door as Archie was leaning, close to her and then she saw him whisper something in her ear. Earning him a playful swat on the arm. "Lysander," Another hushed giggle and she paused, her head was beginning to swim. "Lysander" She started again. "Look how I do quake with fear"

She was drawing a blank, a complete and total blank. Her mind was racing and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She felt a wave crashing over her, her eyes were having trouble focusing, desperately trying to find Kevin in the lights, unable to find him. Her fists were clenched at her side. She was sure she could hear someone saying her name, but she couldn't determine where it was coming from. Betty felt like the ground was falling beneath her, her breathing becoming more laboured. She needed to escape, she was running before she even knew it, pushing through the double doors into the bright sunlight. She leaned over bracing herself with her hands on her knees, trying to take deep breaths and take back some control.

Kevin was the first person to come through the doors. She looked up briefly to catch his eyes, full of concern and took his arm when he offered it. He helped her to sit on the stool kept near the stage door for the smokers.

"Deep breaths, Betty, breathe." His hand was on her back gently stroking, and she could start to feel herself come back from the brink.

"I don't know what happened, I just." She was still shaking as she thought about what had just happened.

"Don't worry about it."

"But I need to. I need to do it again, better." She made a move to get back up, but Kevin's hand gently on her shoulder kept her in place.

"There is no way you are getting back out there today. Just don't worry about it."

"But Kevin..."

"No buts, Princess, I'm the boss remember."

Betty nodded slowly, taking another deep breath providing her the ability to gain control again.

* * *

Betty had told Kevin to go back inside, and that she was going to stay outside just a little longer to collect her thoughts before heading home.

Hearing the stage doors open once more, she looked towards them, sure that it was Kevin come to check on her again. She was about to tell him to stop worrying when she caught sight of a tell-tale grey beanie and a silhouette that was much taller than Kevin's. She didn't even try to stifle her groan at his arrival. As he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, she made her move off the stool and headed towards the door, away from the one person she was hoping to avoid after that disaster on stage.

"That was quite the performance, Betts." She scoffed without looking at him, a dramatic eye roll a very near thing. "You know we would only be too happy to have you with us back stage."

"I'm really not in the mood today, Jug," she answered sullenly. Betty was already making a move to push past him towards the stage doors because she had been through enough for today and a confrontation with him was the last thing she needed.

"I'm just saying." Jughead blew out a stream of smoke and shrugged. "I mean if all you want is to be close to the golden boy I can make that happen."

This time her eyes really did roll. "You mean as king of the underlings." Her hands were clenched into fists by her side, as she squeezed tighter and tighter, feeling a sharp stinging pain for the third time that day. She wouldn't have been surprised if there was blood pooling by the time she got home.

"Well, if the crown fits, Betts." He winked and she wanted to hit him, to lash out at him. Here he was, all smarm and self-righteousness, as if he was better than she was. As if he had earned the right to talk to her like this.

She again tried to pass him to move towards the doors but before she could, he grabbed her shoulder, spinning her to face him. She felt a heat rush through her at his touch and their close proximity almost like a memory, the smell of cigarette smoke, the taste of it on her tongue. It was there for a second but then it was gone.

He seemed to consider her briefly, his eyes looking down at her her clenched hands before pouring over her face. He looked as though he was about to say something before the moment was gone and he relented, letting go of her shoulder and allowing her to finally push past the doors to make her way towards the exit.

* * *

Betty was pacing in her small apartment, checking her phone just in case by some miracle she managed to miss the chime signalling a notification coming through. She was waiting on Kevin's email to the company outlining the roles and who had been awarded which parts. At this point, Betty had her fingers crossed for anything, even just a fairy. She could deal with being part of the chorus. Maybe it really would be a good idea to put some distance between herself and Archie, 'absence does make the heart grow fonder' so they say. Betty glowered at the thought. Usually that only works when the other person actually knows you exist.

She had tried everything to calm her nerves, she had practically begged Kevin over the phone to complete the casting process at her apartment, promising that she would be on her best behaviour and would not try to sway or influence his creative process in any way shape or form. But he maintained that he needed to be in the zone and that he worked best in the old theatre, and also did not want Betty eagerly peering over his shoulder. He had learnt his lesson last year.

She decided to make herself some herbal tea, pulling her mug down from the cupboard when she heard the tell-tale chime and felt the vibration in her pocket. Hoping that it was an email from Kevin and not yet another adorably cute photo of her niece and nephew who she missed like crazy enough without Polly sending through a slew of them every night.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was an email from Kevin. Her nerves were on edge as she prepared herself to graciously accept whatever part it was that she would be doing, trying to remind herself that it wasn't all about Archie, not completely.

She scanned the email looking for her name, she came across Archie- playing Lysander. No surprise there. Hermia had Veronica's name against it and she felt the green eyed monster start to whisper in her ear. Pushing it aside, Betty soon found her name in the email.

Betty Cooper as Helena, figures.


	3. Over Park, Over Place

**_Authors Note: Thank you all for your wonderful comments, favourites and follows. It's nice to know that people are enjoying this story._**

 ** _Thank you again to_** jandjsalmon ** _for betaing this chapter and helping me with my_** headcannon ** _and just being generally awesome._**

 ** _I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well._**

 ** _Chapter 3: Over Park, Over Place._**

Betty couldn't believe that Kevin had managed to convince her to come out to this stupid _traditional_ get together they always held prior to the start of rehearsals. The last people she wanted to see were the other members of the acting troupe, not after the humiliation of her audition the day before.

Following Kevin's cast email, she had received a text from Moose, who had landed the role of Demetrius, congratulating her on her casting and letting her know how much he was looking forward to working with her again this year. He was sweet really, when he dropped the macho attitude. She could see what Kevin had seen in him and had truly been upset for her friend when they hadn't worked out. They had so much in common, Moose liked football and Kevin liked men who played football.

Hollering at her to hurry up from outside the bathroom door, she couldn't help from rolling her eyes at Kevin. He regularly took longer than she did to get ready. Betty huffed at her reflection in the mirror, she looked like a mess, she would much rather stay at home gorging herself on ice-cream and coming up with the next phase of her Archie Andrews scheme, but Kevin had other ideas.

"You better be beautifying in there, Princess," he shouted, knocking on the door dramatically for emphasis.

"I don't want to go Kevin," she whined back through the door.

"Look, I understand you didn't get what you wanted - but Helena is a strong part. And as per usual you will be fantastic at it." She opened the door a crack looking at him through it, her eyes surveying her friend's face.

"How can you say that, Kev? I made a fool of myself up there yesterday. Forgetting lines, running off, I haven't done that since elementary school." She felt the anxiety rising up in her again even as she remembered what had happened. The complete and utter loss of control. She strived so hard to keep it all together, to keep everything, just right. The whole company had seen that veneer slip at the auditions and she couldn't bear to face their sympathetic smiles and underlying judgement."Everyone is probably wondering how I managed to even get a role after that performance let alone one of the leads. They'll know it's because I'm friends with you."

"Nonsense." Kevin pushed the door open gently, entering the small bathroom and taking both of her hands in his own. "You are a performer, Betty. A natural talent and everyone knows that. You had a small dose of stage fright. You were off your game. It was one time. That's all."

"But…" she tried to argue with him but he cut her off.

"But nothing. You know me, Betty. This play means everything to me and I am nothing if not a perfectionist. I would not cast you if I didn't think you deserved it. Friend or not. Artistic integrity is important to me and so are you." The sincerity of his words was clear in his voice and Betty relaxed her body in surrender.

"Kevin, what did I do to deserve you?" Her friend always knew what to say to bring her back out of herself.

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, Betty." Letting go of her hands and taking on a more authoritative stance, he moved his hands to his hips. "Now brush your hair, wipe off that ghastly mascara that's making you look like a sad panda, put on some lipstick, and let's go."

Betty gave him a mock salute in response, and reached for a tissue to remove the remains of her smudged make up. She could do this.

Betty was holding onto Kevin's arm as they entered the Whyte Wyrm, the only bar in Riverdale that was even worth going to. When Betty had been in high school it had been a hangout for the notorious bike gang the 'Southside Serpents'. But when she had returned to Riverdale after her year in New York, it had been made over and had remodelled into a local bar that attracted many of the younger citizens of town. It was also where the company spent their down-time through the production season. Of course, it was mainly the actors who would attend. Betty was not exactly sure where the techies hung out, or even if they did hang out when not at the theatre. Unless it was the opening night or final cast party after the last show, they kept to their own little group. She couldn't blame them. The acting troupe, herself included as much as she hated to admit it, did not always treat them very well. Cheryl for example, would bark orders at them as if they were her own personal slaves only there to do her bidding.

There was however, one techie who was almost certain to be there tonight. If she was being honest with herself, he was probably the bigger reason she had begged Kevin to let her get out of this meet up with the cast, surpassing even her own embarrassment from the day before.

Jughead had took over ownership of the Whyte Wyrm with his younger sister JB when their father had been arrested several years earlier. Around the same time Betty had returned to Riverdale, FP Jones had started to change his life from that of violence and petty (and not so petty) crime that he'd participated in as a member of the Serpents. He'd turned his life around just as he began to clean up the bar he owned. Eventually though, his past deeds caught up with him and he had to pay his dues. He'd left the bar to his two kids, and they had gentrified the place.

Betty couldn't prevent her anxious glance towards the bar as soon as she walked through the heavy wooden door. She was hoping that maybe Jughead would have taken the night off and left JB in charge as he sometimes did during the summer and when the production was on in order to have time to commit to his responsibilities backstage. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she could only see a bartender she didn't recognise. There was no sign of neither Jughead nor his sister.

Kevin had left her at the bar heading over to talk to Cheryl, no doubt to book a time to get her measured for her Titania costume. Kevin had not shut up about the intricacies of the fabric on the walk over. Betty was sure that he was going to use the town's supply of glitter on this production. He spoke in raptures, and she had merely nodded and given the occasional noise in the affirmative to let him know she was still, just barely, listening. Her mind had been too lost in her own thoughts.

Shaking a certain bar owner from her head, Betty ordered her drink from the bartender and her eyes started scanning the bar for a head of ginger hair. She found Archie settled in one of the booths. She was not surprised to find Veronica tucked in by his side. She was dressed so elegantly, so perfectly, in a tight-fitting little black dress with those classic pearls still around her neck. Obviously her trademark, much like Betty who had her ponytail.

Betty thought about walking over and joining them but decided to hang back. She was much better one on one anyway as opposed to feeling comfortable talking in a group. With her competition directly in front of her, she was sure to make a fool of herself yet again so instead she held back, observing the room before her.

"I saw Kevin's email."

Betty's eyes closed at the sound of his voice behind her. Just her luck- Jughead Jones.

"And here I was hoping that JB would be in tonight," she murmured, turning back towards the bar, taking in his appearance briefly, picking up her drink, and turning away again.

"And miss all this frivolity?" His old comfortable sarcasm saturating his voice. "JB has a night class." Betty nodded without saying anything. It was admirable that the younger woman was still trying to get her degree after all that had happened to the Jones family. Betty had always liked JB.

"You know, I think Kevin has quite the sense of humour," he continued as though she hadn't essentially turned her back on him and the bar. He knew she was listening.

She kept her back towards him, looking out across the bar to watch Archie and Veronica talking close, leaning into each other, obviously absorbed in the conversation. In all their years at school and afterwards, she herself had never managed to have a 'real' conversation with Archie, she was more of an observer. She had spoken to him of course, but it was never about anything substantial and never more than a few sentences before she became flustered or Kevin was whisking her away. To be honest with herself she didn't know him that well at all. He was just so perfectly perfect.

"And why is that?" She told herself she wasn't going to let him bait her, wasn't going to let him get to her, or make her second guess herself, but she couldn't help it. She tried to sound as uninterested as she could despite the fact that her breath caught on every note of the low timber of his voice.

"Casting you as Helena," he almost scoffed, his tone indicating as though it were obvious. "I mean you pursue someone who clearly is not interested, you make a fool of yourself on a regular basis, and well, I guess you're tall."

"Such a comedian." She dead-panned as she turned on the barstool to face him. "And here I was thinking that maybe you were talking about Kevin casting _your_ right-hand-man as Bottom."

Jughead scowled at this. Betty had to admit that she had been surprised to see Dilton Doiley's name against the lead of Bottom. She had missed his audition due to her panic attack, but could only assume that Kevin knew what he was doing. In all the years previous, Dilton had been a lynch pin within the tech department. He and Jughead seemed to be able to communicate in only looks through the show, pulling off their roles and responsibilities without a hitch. Jughead had to be feeling the loss of someone he relied heavily on and Betty was happy to have some ammo of her own to lord over him to wipe that smirk off his face.

"I don't know what he's thinking." Jughead sighed heavily, dragging his hand down his face. "And to be stuck being cast opposite Cheryl."

"I would have paid good money to see her face when she found out. Remember when we did Cabaret, and she made him follow her around with speakers playing _her song_ so she could stay in the zone." Betty giggled, and Jughead was soon laughing along with her. At the sound of his laughter, her stomach did a little flip. She remembered well the last time she'd heard him laugh genuinely, absent of his usual sarcasm. The sun shining, the taste of coffee, the brush of his fingers against hers. She forced herself to stop, her laughter ending abruptly with the memory, and she physically made herself remember other, more painful memories. The atmosphere around them shifted again to something more familiar, the distance that she'd so carefully built between them.

He noticed the shift in her body, her guards coming back up, and his eyes unconsciously dropped to the bandaged hand holding her glass. She had had to dress it, she had cut too deep. She was grateful for the clear dressings, hardly even noticeable unless you were looking for it, which he was. She placed the hand holding her glass back onto the bar, feeling the coolness against her palm, hoping to hide her damage further only drawing attention to it . Her wide eyes met his, and there was that look again. She had seen it in the alleyway, she had seen it closing night two years ago, it was pity. She couldn't take pity. Not from him.

"Betts." His hand reached for hers and she pulled it back from the bar sharply.

"Don't call me that, Jughead. We are not friends."

"Whatever makes you feel better, Betts." His eyes had softened as he spoke, not rising to her challenge. She was itching for a fight, a verbal sparring, not for him to do whatever it was he was doing. Panicked, she grabbed her drink from the bar, and started to make her way to Kevin. She would even put up with Cheryl if it meant that she was away from Jughead and what he did to her nerves.

She was fully absorbed with storming across the room to tell Kevin what an ass he had working backstage when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around ready to tell Jughead exactly where to go when she was faced instead with Veronica. Upon seeing the look on Betty's face, the other woman had taken a step back and immediately removed her hand. At this Betty softened her look, instead offering an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else." Betty could feel her body relax out of its ultra-tensed state before she even realized she was speaking to her rival.

"My fault I shouldn't go around grabbing strangers by the shoulder. But you were like a girl on a mission," she exclaimed with a laugh. "I'm Veronica." She offered her hand out to Betty, which Betty took and shook not wanting to appear rude, she had been raised to always be polite.

"I know who you are."

"Of course, sorry. Anyway I saw that we have been cast as Hermia and Helena, so we will be working together and I just wanted to get to know you a bit better, maybe even make friends." A hopeful tilt was in her voice, which caught Betty off guard. The way Veronica had strutted into the theatre and the way she had interacted with the other members, Betty hadn't thought that she would be approaching her for friendship. She didn't imagine that a girl like Veronica Lodge would have trouble making friends.

Veronica seemed to take her pause and collection of her thoughts as dismissal. "Or not. Hey, just thought I would say 'hi' at least."

"Sorry, no." Betty shook her head lightly, taking a deep breath before readjusting her smile. "I'm not myself lately. I mean you saw what happened yesterday."

"I saw someone with a bit of stage fright who must be extremely talented if she is playing one of the main roles in this production."

Betty considered this take on her situation and admitted to herself that it sounded a lot better than the scenario that she had come up with in her own mind. "Thank you." Veronica beamed back at her, readjusting her stance to one of more confidence, at Betty's gracious smile.

"So you obviously have been doing this for years and years, and must know all the in and outs of the group. Can I tempt you sit with me and tell me everything you know about the company? This girl needs some gossip to keep her going." A mischievous smile crossed the brunette's face.

Betty couldn't help the very real smile that was spreading across her face in response, she had not had another friend besides Kevin in so long and as much as she wanted to resent Veronica for her part in the play, her ability to converse with the other members and Archie's obvious infatuation with her she just couldn't.

"Okay," Betty said, moving towards one of the quieter booths in the bar, Veronica getting in beside her before signalling to the bartender for a drink, who nodded in response. . "What do you want to know?"


	4. Whither Wander You

_Author's Note:_

 _Thanks again to jandjsalmon for beta'ing this chapter and all her help overall. Also thanks to zombiekittiez whose advise on community theatre I continue to use through the development of the story._

 **Chapter 4: Whither Wander You**

"So what do you want to know?" Betty posed the question to the dark haired woman opposite her.

Veronica clapped her hands together in delight and Betty was taken aback slightly at Veronica's eagerness to know more about the company. She could see the thoughts racing through the brunette's head as she formulated her first question.

"The red headed girl over there with Kevin." Betty followed Veronica's gaze, seeing where Kevin was currently talking with Cheryl. Well, where Cheryl was currently talking at Kevin and he seemed to just be nodding along and trying to get a word in when he could. "How much drama is she, exactly?"

"Cheryl Blossom. My sister-in-law is quite the handful." Betty responded, waiting for the look of shock to leave Veronica's face which was the usual response when she told someone that she was related by marriage to Cheryl Blossom. Poor sweet Betty Cooper.

"Sister-in-Law?" Veronica repeated.

"Yep." Betty took a sip of her drink before explaining. "My older sister Polly married Cheryl's twin brother, Jason. It was quite the scandal when they ran away together after Senior year."

"Wait, back up a second, there are two of them and your sister married one of them." Her incredulity had Betty laughing out loud.

"Yeah, but Jason and Cheryl are nothing alike, not really. Jason is actually quite nice and he loves my sister and that's enough for me. Also twins run in their family." Betty got her phone out of her pocket, scanning through the pictures looking for the most recent photo Polly had sent her of the twins. "This is my niece and nephew," she said proudly as she turned the phone around so that Veronica could see the photo of the two red haired 3 year olds, both smiling big for the camera.

"They are very cute." Veronica smiled at Betty who felt a twinge of sadness that they weren't still living in Riverdale and she did not get to see them nearly as much as she would like.

"They are, and they know it. Polly has her hands full with those two." Veronica handed Betty back her phone, which she placed back in her pocket. "But to answer your original question, Cheryl is drama personified."

"I kinda guessed. She has that air about her."

"Just a word of advice don't get on her bad side. I find it's just best to stay out of her way. She always gets what she wants."

"We'll see. I'm not one to back down from something." Betty envied that kind of confidence that Veronic clearly had in spades. She could tell that she was someone who knew who she was and what she wanted. She wouldn't be the kind of woman who would pineafter a boy the majority of her adult life without doing anything about it.

"Oh, here is my Helena and my Hermia." Kevin must have extricated himself from Cheryl's grasp. He leaned over the back of Betty's side of the booth to drape his arm over her shoulder and gave her a goofy grin. Kevin was a lightweight and already well on his way to an early night. "So how excited are we?" His tone was light and joyful, obviously someone was having a good time.

"Very excited Kev," Betty said, her face and tone of voice conveying the exact opposite.

"Betty was just being kind enough to give me the goss on the rest of the company."

"She is, is she?" Kevin eyed Betty curiously. "So, what has she told you so far?" Kevin took a seat in the booth next to Betty who slid over to let him to sit. He seemed particularly interested in what Betty had shared with their new troupe member.

"She told me about our resident Drama Queen."

"Yeah, Cheryl is a little highly strung. She just tried to convince me to recast Dilton."

"You have to admit Kevin it is an odd choice." Betty added, still trying to work out if Kevin was serious in his casting or it was some elaborate rouse to mess with Cheryl.

"I don't think it is Betty." Kevin took a sip of his drink, musing over his thoughts. "You didn't see his audition. He sold it completely. He is our perfect Bottom." He held out his glass waiting for one of the two girls to cheers him, Veronica clinked her glass against his.

"Well, just as long as we don't have the whole backstage crew on the stage we should be all right," Betty answered, her eyes unconsciously flicking towards the bar where Jughead was wiping a glass but obviously still watching them. Her hands below the table flexed as her fingers came in contact with the bandage covering her fresh wounds, as she was reminded of their conversation earlier. How he had tried to reach for her.

"Don't worry, Betty. I'm sure Jughead will have everything under control behind the scenes. You don't need to worry about him." Kevin replied smugly. Betty's eyes darted back to him at the table as she tried to hide whatever expression it was that he had read from her face. He couldn't know what she was thinking surely.

"Jughead? Mr. Dark and Broody behind the bar?" Veronica asked for confirmation indicating to where Jughead was serving drinks and talking to some of the regulars. Betty forced herself not to glance again in his direction, her eyes trained on the glass in front of her. She took a long sip from her drink, revelling in the feeling of the alcohol slipping down her throat. As she set her glass down again she noticed that both Kevin and now, Veronica were watching her with interest.

She tried her best to wipe any expression from her face, to blankly stare as to not give anything away.

"Yeah, he's a little moody. Always has been. But he mainly keeps to himself, doesn't he, Betty?" Kevin turned to Betty who looked up at him, searching his eyes carefully, trying to work out what, if anything, he knew, before deciding that it didn't matter anyway it was all in the past.

"Well, then," Veronica's tone indicating that she was ready to change onto a new subject. "I would like to know more about the other red head in our little group. I am very much looking forward to some late night rehearsals with that one," she said suggestively. Betty felt her skin prickle at Veronica's words as what she had feared the brunette's intentions towards her crush had come to light.

"Archie," Betty let out. "His name is Archie Andrews." Veronica surveyed the look on Betty's face.

"You two aren't…? Are you? 'Cause I don't want to be _that_ girl." Betty imagined that Veronica had definitely been that girl before. Betty knew that men were attracted to women like Veronica and she was definitely the type to enjoy that kind of attention.

"No, they're not." Kevin chimed in and Betty shot him a look to keep quiet. Veronica held up her hands in surrender.

"If you've got something going on with him I'll back off."

"He's not my boyfriend, he's not my anything." Betty dismissed her feelings. In truth she knew that she was no competition for Veronica, why would Archie ever choose her?

"But you want him to be?" Veronica narrowed her eyes at Betty, looking for her confirmation.

"Well yeah, but..." She _did_ didn't she? He was Archie Andrews, the perfect man, the one for her. She hadn't spent all these years chasing him for nothing. She didn't know how she felt about sharing that with Veronica… but she had never had an ally before. Kevin had always been against the idea of her and Archie. Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible to tell someone else.

"Well, Betty, consider me your fairy godmother sent from Manhattan. You want that boy over there, I will make it happen, if my name isn't Veronica Lodge." Betty noticed the grimace on Kevin's face, but she couldn't help pulling herself up to sit a little straighter in the booth. Maybe with Veronica's help this might be her year after all. "So, we need a plan." Veronica suggested, lacing her fingers together.

Betty took a deep breath as she got ready to enter the small theatre, the scene of the crime. Where a week previous she had completely lost herself on the stage before running out in a panic. She could already start to feel the anxiety building.

She had spent the previous night rehearsing her part while also sending a slew of text messages to Kevin, confirming her character's motivations and asking him multiple questions on her intended performance. Kevin's last message had informed her that he was now turning his phone off and any further messages would go unanswered. Betty was determined not to lose herself on that stage again.

She pushed through the doors and was greeted with the usual busyness that occupied the theatre during the production. The familiarity of it all calmed her nerves slightly. She pulled her ponytail tighter and continued to walk across the room towards the stage.

"Betty!" She turned in the direction of her name and spotted Veronica over by the front row of seats, waving at her emphatically and motioning for her to come and sit beside her. She waved back and started to make her way over when she noticed that Archie was sitting on the other side of her new friend. Hesitating for a second, Betty's heart started to race and Veronica nodded at her to encouragingly seeing the obvious panic in her eyes.

"Hey, Veronica," she greeted in an attempt to sound casual. "Archie." Her voice was squeeky when she looked towards him and she mentally kicked herself for being so awkward around him.

"Hey, Betty. Are you all prepared?" Archie asked her.

"Yeah, I am. Stayed up most of the night." Awkward.

"That's dedication," he replied with a good-natured smile. "I'm still learning my lines." He gave a short laugh, and Betty found herself giggling along with him like a school girl almost as a reflex. A practised response.

"Well, I thought maybe after rehearsals we could all come over to my place, it's not far, to practice some more." Veronica spoke sending a quick wink in Betty's direction. It seemed that Veronica was serious in her commitment that night at the Whyte Wyrm to help Betty.

"I would love to," Archie eagerly responded, and Betty just nodded her head in agreement. She assumed that Moose would be there as well as part of the pair of 'stage lovers'. She hadn't noticed him when she had walked in and quickly glanced around the room but couldn't see him. She guessed that he could be meeting with Kevin in the theatre office.

"Is Moose here yet? I didn't see him on the way in."

"He isn't here yet. He texted me this morning," Archie replied, pulling out his phone looking through to see whether there were any further messages. Before pulling up the most recent one. "Yeah, he said he was going to be here."

"Kevin won't be impressed if he's late," Betty knew that there was no room for slacking off with Kevin in charge. He ran a tight production and if you took that for granted it didn't matter if you had dated the director before or not, you would be cut.

At that moment Kevin entered the main room from the door to his office. He took a quick look around surveying who was present. Not all the company was in attendance today, he had requested just the 4 lovers and a small handful of stage crew in case anything was needed. Betty had seen Jughead seated at the back of the audience seats when she had entered, but she was determined not to let him affect her. She was here to rehearse and nothing else, at least where he was concerned. She wasn't even going to look at him if she could help it.

"Where's Moose?" Kevin asked almost immediately, turning towards Archie waiting for an explanation.

"I was just telling the girls here that I got a text from him this morning telling me he was coming, but I've heard nothing since." Kevin let out a frustrated groan, he swore that actors were the bane of his existence sometimes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in deep breaths, before speaking again.

"Okay, it's fine" He raked his hand through his hair. "Veronica and Archie if we can get you rehearsing first, give him some time to show up along with finding a damn good excuse for why he is late." Betty took a seat in the front row as Archie and Veronica approached the stage.

Betty hated to admit that Veronica was a perfect Hermia, the way she delivered her lines and matched so well with Archie, even though he had to keep looking down to read his lines before saying them. She could see Kevin shifting in his chair, displeased not only with his absent lead but also the one who was still reading almost completely from the script, seemingly without even trying to learn them. Archie always delivered on the night, a flawless performance, but it was a trial throughout most of rehearsal.

Kevin made them repeat their scene a few more times. Betty wasn't sure whether this was the perfectionist in Kevin or the fact that he was buying more time for Moose to show up. When he didn't, Kevin motioned to them to take a seat, while commending Veronica on her performance and urging Archie to learn his lines, or at least make an attempt learning them. Archie flashed a smile at him, which Kevin dismissed, Betty wished she was as immune to his charms as he was. If he flashed the same smile at her she would be putty in his hands.

"Okay, Betty, your turn." Kevin turned towards her and she noticed the gentleness that his tone had taken on when he addressed her. His look one of support as she approached the stage, she brushed her hands over her sweater pulling it down over her hips, straightening her appearance as she made her way up the short set of steps which all of a sudden seemed like an entire staircase. She cleared her throat before she delivered her monologue.

"How happy some o'er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she."

She looked towards Kevin who was nodding his encouragement and she continued, feeling that familiar rhythm and confidence wash over her as she continued.

"But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;  
He will not know what all but he do know:  
And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes,"

The words were flowing from her lips in a way that she could remember, the words came easily to her mind, her arms and hands moving to convey her emotion.

"So I, admiring of his qualities:  
Things base and vile, folding no quantity,  
Love can transpose to form and dignity:  
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;  
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind:  
Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste;  
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:  
And therefore is Love said to be a child,  
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled."

She took in the rest of the room as she spoke, making eye contact with each member who was present her confidence growing and growing as she did so. Her eyes drifted to the back row, where Jughead was sitting. She swore she saw a smile on his face in place of the usual scowl. She wrote it off as a trick of the lights.

"Pursue her; and for this intelligence  
If I have thanks, it is a dear expense:  
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,  
To have his sight thither and back again."

She finished her speech and shifted her attention back to Kevin who was smiling back at her.

"Great Betty, just great, you did seem a bit lost in the middle there but, there is a lot to like there. Let's go another time."

She completed her speech again and again the words flowed through her, she felt that she had her strength and confidence back, her previous panic attack becoming more and more a distant memory. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she had once again cemented herself as a valuable member of the company.

"Okay, let's have you try the confrontation with Demetrius."

"Um, Moose still isn't here?" Archie spoke up from the front row, still seated next to Veronica. Betty noticed Kevin pinching the bridge of his nose again, he seemed to do that a lot whenever Archie opened his mouth.

"I am aware of that Archie, thank you." There was a clear frustration in his tone. A missing lead was a serious matter and Betty knew the pressure that Kevin placed upon himself for the production to do well. "Jughead get up here, you're reading against Betty."

There was a sharp bark of laughter from the back of the room, and Kevin spun around to face Jughead who was still casually reclined in the back row his feet up on the seat in front of him.

"Hurry up." Kevin spoke authoritatively in what Betty affectionately referred to as his 'director's voice.' Jughead gave a loud sigh which spread through the acoustics of the room, before pulling himself up from his seat and making his way to the stage.

"I'm tech crew, Kevin," he said indignantly as he stood across from Kevin, who was still staring him down.

"Trust me, Jughead. I am well aware of that, but you see I'm the director and I need you to go stand up there and read from this book." Kevin spoke as if explaining something to a naughty child, and Betty covered the smile on her face with her hand as she watched the exchange. Kevin thrust a worn book into Jughead's hands with force, his frustration starting to show. "Do you think you can handle that?"

"Well, Archie here seems to manage without too much trouble so…" He sighed once more and then slowly made his way up onto the stage and stood opposite Betty, who was attempting to look at everyone else in the room except the one in front of her. Just when she felt everything was snapping into place.

He stood across the stage in front of her, a copy of the script in his hands as he looked up towards her. He was clearly unhappy to be brought up on stage, to be opposite her anyway. She had just gotten her confidence up and now she had to deal with this. She swore that Jughead Jones had returned to this production just to torture her. She was going to kill Moose when she saw him next.

"Jughead if you can start from "I love thee not."

"I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.  
Where is Lysander and fair Hermia?  
The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.  
Thou told'st me they were stolen unto this wood;  
And here am I, and wode within this wood,  
Because I cannot meet my Hermia.  
Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more."

Betty watched as his lips formed the words of the prose of Shakespeare, this wasn't the first time she had been captivated by the sound of words leaving his lips. The way his low tone read through the lines of the play, created a low stirring in her, which she tried to push down, not letting it creep to the surface. She was jolted back to the room by a loud cough.

"It's your line, Betty," Kevin told her, from his chair.

"Right." She berated herself for her distraction. She took a deep breath to clear her head, making the words easier to find.

"You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant;  
But yet you draw not iron, for my heart  
Is true as steel: leave you your power to draw,  
And I shall have no power to follow you."

She spoke her words emoting her feelings into them, pouring them in. She had felt them before. Feelings of longing for a love lost came easily to Betty. She paused then allowing him to fill the space.

"Do I entice you? do I speak you fair?  
Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth  
Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?"

They weren't his words, but still they cut her deep and her heart twisted painfully. Her fingers were pressing into her palm, not hard enough to mark her skin but she could feel the scars under the very tips of her fingers. It was enough of a reminder to bring her back to the present. Blinking back what she refused to accept was wetness from her eyes, she prepared to make her next line when the sound of Kevin's phone ringing broke the tension that had developed on the stage. Betty watched as he put the phone to his ear and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart..

"This better be good, Moose." He paused before speaking again. "No, okay, I'm on my way." Betty watched as Kevin's face moved from frustration and anger to one of concern. He was already putting on his jacket as he continued the phone call. "Thank you." He turned his attention to the rest of the company who were present who were waiting anxiously.

"Kevin, is everything okay?" Betty spoke up first, already making her way towards her friend.

"Moose has been in an accident, two broken legs, he's still in surgery." His face was pale and he couldn't keep the worry from his voice. "I'm heading over to the hospital. Apparently he still has me as his first contact on his phone. We will resume tomorrow. I'll email details to everyone." With that, Kevin walked out the door.


	5. Sickness is Catching

_Authors Note: Thank you again to the wonderful jandjsalmon for betaing and helping me pretty much getting through this chapter I am so thankful for your support and guidance._

 _And sorry this update has taken a little longer than a week but there were some technical difficulties and writers block, BUT here it is so I hope you enjoy!!!_

Sickness is Catching.

Betty was sitting in her apartment alone with a glass of red wine in her hand and her copy of the play in her lap. She had received a text from Kevin saying that Moose was doing as well as could be expected but that his football career was on the line and that things would be touch a go for a while. Betty had sent him a message back advising him to look after Moose and that if he needed her for anything, that she would be there in a heartbeat all he had to do was ask.

If Betty was being objective, rehearsals that afternoon had gone as well as they could have, given the circumstances. She felt that she had held things together fairly well and while sharing the stage with Jughead had been a stomach-clenching experience and not one she wanted to relive any time soon, at least it showed her what she was capable of.

Interrupting her reverie, Betty heard a knock at her door and glanced at the time on her phone. She was not expecting anyone to be making a social call this late in the night. Looking through the peephole in her apartment door to see who was visiting this late, she didn't bother to hide the smile that spread across her face and she opened the door to find Veronica waiting.

"I see you have started without me," Veronica said as she glanced at the glass in Betty's hand and held up the unopened bottle she had in her own. "I figured we could have some girl time."

Betty stepped away from the door and held it open, inviting Veronica to enter. She moved to her kitchen and grabbed a second glass and the bottle of opened wine off the counter and poured a glass for the brunette. Veronica had taken a seat on her couch, kicking of her heels and wiggling her toes. Betty admired how Veronica could make even relaxing on a couch look so graceful and effortless.

She took her place next to Veronica at the other end of the couch, Veronica's feet not quite touching her as she curled up. She leant over to pass the glass to Veronica who took it gracefully.

"So are rehearsals always that eventful?" Veronica asked after taking a sip. Betty noticed her wince slightly at the cheap wine, before smiling and taking another sip. Obviously Veronica had also been raised to have manners.

"Not usually when Cheryl isn't there." Betty took a sip herself, remembering many of the great Cheryl melt-downs during rehearsals in the past. Of course whatever she was upset about had usually been blamed on whatever hapless tech member was closest at the time.

"How is Moose?" Veronica asked, concerned.

"Kevin said he's doing okay, well as okay as you can be with two broken legs," she corrected. "His football manager is losing his mind though, they hope it won't affect his spot on the team." Kevin had been cool and collected when she had texted him. He always was in a crisis.

"Does Kevin know what he's going to do about the role?"

"No idea. He said he had some thoughts but needed to sort some things out first. But Kevin will handle it. He always does."

Veronica nodded thoughtfully before a playful smirk graced her face. "And what was going on with you and Jughead on stage? I noticed him watching you the whole time at the bar the other night, and then all day today as well. Have you been holding out on me, Betty, keeping the juiciest bit of gossip all for yourself? Because I can keep a secret." She gave an exaggerated wink in Betty's direction.

"What?" Betty tried to keep her face straight while simultaneously not choking on her wine. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, I had to fan myself down watching that whole thing today." Veronica waved her hand in front of face, as she leant back dramatically on the couch appearing to swoon.

"It's nothing." A lie.

Veronica looked incredulous. "Are you seriously telling me that you haven't even thought about it?"

Betty urged the blush that was spreading across her cheeks could be explained away by the alcohol. Veronica continued "I mean he's all mysterious and brooding and I know a lot of girls who would go for that."

Betty noticed that Veronica's tone had lowered as she spoke, and Betty couldn't help but think about him and how they'd been that afternoon. Had he been smiling when she was reading her lines today when she had spotted him in the crowd? The way he had reached out for her hand at the bar. His deep tone as he spoke to her, the way he said her name, Betts.

"Look, if I'm setting you up with the wrong guy, just say the word I am nothing if not adaptable."

Betty allowed herself a split second thought of 'what if?' before grimacing. No, she was sure it was Archie. It always had been, hadn't it? What was a few months of moments compared to years of knowing?

"No, Archie is the guy, always had been." She could see Veronica was about to push further and then paused as she examined her face. Betty held her breath hoping that that was the last time that Veronica would bring up Jughead Jones.

"So, when exactly did you know Archie was the one?"

"Well, we actually played opposite one another in the first play I did for the company."

Betty was nervous. This was her first year auditioning for the community play. She'd just returned to her home town following her first year in New York. It had been a dream come true for her to go there for school. Betty Cooper always gave everything 100 percent so when the acceptance letter had come for her first choice – Columbia - it had not been a surprise. She'd loved studying there and exploring and learning everything that the city had to offer. It felt strange to return to the town where she had grown up, had her first crush, sneaked out for the first time. It was so familiar and yet so different to what she remembered. Betty wondered if the town had changed while she had been gone or whether it was she who'd really changed so much in her year in New York.

Havign always wanted to audition for the yearly community play, she had always talked herself out of it. But this year was different, she was different and she was going to go for it. Kevin was also auditioning which gave her an extra boost of confidence because she was not going to be up there alone.

When she took to the stage and started to read her lines, it was like another part of her took over. Her voice boomed across the theatre, no longer meek and mild. No, she had strength now and it only spurred her on. When she had finished she saw Kevin in the corner giving her a thumbs up while the director simply nodded and gave the signal for her to leave the stage, not giving anything away.

She watched on as some of the other actors made their way to the stage and she was surprised when she noticed Archie Andrews waiting in the wings. She watched in awe as he read his lines, and felt a familiar twisting in her stomach that she had felt back when he was just a jock and she was just a girl who spent too much time in the high school newspaper office and student council room. Betty had had a crush on Archie for as long as she could remember. She had watched on from afar in high school, when he was the unattainable football jock with a million girls swarming around him, never sparing even a glance in her direction. But now she felt that maybe the new and improved Betty Cooper had a chance.

Unbelievably, Betty had been successful in getting the role opposite him and the time they spent together during the rehearsals and the performances only cemented in Betty's mind that Archie Andrews was perfect and that she had to make him hers. She imagined the words that spilled from his mouth were not intended for her character but for her, which only heightened her feelings. Kevin had teased her mercilessly for it. She'd been a shy and studious girl in high school, but on the stage she felt like someone so different to herself, that she felt that she was someone that Archie Andrews could fall in love with.

They had finished their last performance and Betty was packing up her costume into her bag, backstage, thinking for any way she could approach him and ask him for coffee or something.

"Hey, Betty." She had spun around when she heard the red-head in question say her name, making sure her smile was as wide and shining as ever.

"Hey, Arch." She had started calling him Arch during the production and he hadn't corrected her. She thought maybe he might come up with a cute nickname for her, but she remained 'Betty', which she told herself was really was a nickname in and of itself. He flashed her his smile and she subconsciously pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You did great up there." Betty felt the blush beginning on her neck and slowly creeping up her neck.

"You did really well as well," she responded, nervously twirling her ponytail between her fingers, as she continued to give him a encouraging smile.

"Thanks," he answered proudly.

"Did you want to maybe go and celebrate opening night?" The words had left her mouth impulsively.

"Yeah I heard everyone is heading to that new place the Whyte Wyrm, well it's not really new but -"

Betty tried to hide the disappointment on her face. It wasn't as if she had made it clear that she was just asking him so, it was her fault really that he assumed that it would be everyone from the company.

"I'll be there."

"Cool! I guess I will see you there then." She didn't see him that night, he had left before she got there. Hooking up with Cheryl Blossom, Kevin had told her, always knowing the gossip of the company. She didn't mind not really, there was always next year.

"He was so good," Betty continued with a nostalgic smile, trying to recapture what she had felt all those years ago but having trouble feeling it in quite the same way as she once did. "We had so much fun together doing Barefoot in the Park that he almost made me forget we weren't actually friends at school. Before I knew it I was hooked – on acting and on Archie Andrews."

"And what about Jughead?" the brunette asked pointedly. Her head was tilted to the side and she was clearly trying to understand where the broody stage hand fit into the story.

The smile slipped from Betty's face at the mention of him. "Jug wasn't in the company that year. He was pretty busy with family stuff in high school."

Veronica nodded, knowing there was more to the story but didn't push.

"So you're sure we are sticking with Archie then?" Her eyebrow raised in question. Betty paused briefly before nodding. Before Veronica could ask anymore of her probing questions and Betty had to deflect them, both their phones chimed a notification. Betty grabbed her phone from the table beside her. It was an email from Kevin.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Betty sat up in abject horror, her finger quickly scrolling through the message to make sure she had read it correctly.

"What?" Veronica, asked confused, as she pulled out her own bag searching furiously for her phone.

"The role of Demetrius will now be played by Jughead Jones." Betty read out from the email. Veronica's eyes met her own, and Betty was pretty sure she was forgetting how to breathe.

Rehearsals. They had so many rehearsals coming up, and scenes together. That afternoon had been bad enough with his proximity and assault on her senses, she had weeks of this to come. She could grin and bear it for one day comfortable in the knowledge that he would be back behind the lights by the next day. She was going to kill Kevin.

"The plot thickens." Veronica mused out loud and Betty shot her a look that could kill.

"What the hell Kevin?" Betty thrust her phone in front of his face, his message up on the small screen. "You have finally lost it!"

She had received a text from Kevin the next morning as she poured her coffee, a slight headache behind her eyes from drinking too much the night before with Veronica. He had wanted to meet her at the theatre and she was only too happy to oblige, if only to let him know what a colossal mistake he was making with casting Jughead, and whether the incident with Moose had sent him toppling over the edge of insanity.

"He read the lines fine Betty," Kevin shrugged, which only infuriated Betty further. How could he be so nonchalant about this? If he kept it up at this rate half the tech department would be up on the stage.

"His job is to point lights at things, not be up on the stage," she snapped, her hands gesturing wildly in frustration. "Can't you move someone else in there? What about Reggie?" she suggested.

"Reggie is my Puck, I am not changing my Puck!" Kevin said indignantly, as he continued to place items that were scattered on his desk into his bag.

"Well what about Chuck?" An involuntary shiver went up Betty's spine even as she said his name, thinking about having to share a stage with him was more than unpleasant, but at the moment it beat the alternative. She had played the role opposite him during Cabaret and it had made her skin crawl every time she had to share the stage with him.

"Chuck is Oberon. He is committed to a role Betty. All the actors are committed to a role. Therefore I need to think outside the box." She knew he was frustrated with her, wanting her to see the bigger picture to look beyond her dislike for the stage hand and pull it together for the sake of the company.

"Well who is going to run backstage then?" Betty smiled smugly thinking that she had found the flaw in Kevin's plan.

Kevin knew where she was going with her line of thinking. "I have already contacted the Community College, they have film students who need experience over the summer and we are going to give it to them, Jughead will still help out where he can and will get them set up with Dilton's help as well." Kevin's answer was firm and Betty couldn't help but sigh heavily, slumping down in the chair opposite his desk with her head in her hands.

"He's not an actor, Kevin," she said wearily behind her fingers covering her face.

"Well, that's kind of something I wanted to discuss with you." She looked up at him immediately with eyes wide. He couldn't possibly, this couldn't possibly get worse.

"No, Kevin." She shook her head emphatically, she could already feel the anxiety starting to rise up in her as she thought about being alone with him. The close proximity of rehearsals was bad enough. Him possibly being in her apartment again, in her kitchen, a playful smirk across his lips… she snapped herself out of it. That was another time and she wasn't going to think about that anymore.

Kevin frowned. "I'm the director." His tone was forceful, and Betty was taken aback.

"Is that gonna be the reason you have for everything now?"

"Yep." He sighed, moving towards her. "Look, Betty, I need you to help Jughead with his performance. I know the basics are there. He can read lines, but I need you to help him emote more." Betty couldn't stifle the snort that left her lips at this comment.

"You want me to get, him, to emote! Good luck with that, Kevin. He has like" she paused thinking over her response, "two facial expressions." She knew that wasn't the truth. She had seen a myriad of facial expressions from him. Some he saved only for her – at least she'd thought that at the time.

"Well, think of it as a challenge then, Betty. I know how you love a challenge."

Betty glared. "I really don't have a choice in this do I?"

"No, you don't." Kevin walked around the desk to kneel in front of her, his hands resting on her knees. "Look, I don't know why you and Jughead are the way you are but I do know that you would do anything to make this production the best it can be. With Moose out of commission, this is the best and only option I can think of. I'm going to need your help Betty to make it happen."

Betty took a deep breath, and gently rested her hands on Kevin's. "Okay."

"Thank you, Princess." He stood up, pulling her up as he did, encompassing her in a tight embrace.

"I want it on record that I'm not happy about it though," she mumbled into his shoulder. The familiar warmth of her friend melting away some of her anger.

"Noted," he replied with a chuckle.

As she left Kevin's office, she took a deep breath and looked up into the rafters of the theatre. She'd been in this spot before, hurt and unsure of what to do. It didn't take long for her mind to wander to the last time she'd felt so conflicted about a performance.

A Streetcar Named Desire. She had known when Kevin took over as director that he wouldn't be afraid to tackle the darker plays- the ones that stretched them as actors. She had been excited when he had announced it to the group and even more so when she won the part of Blanche. It was the perfect opportunity to really put herself out there acting-wise take some risks. Maybe Archie would admire that, her taking some risks for the sake of the play and the sake of her performance. They had finished their rehearsals, she swore Archie had given her a smile that was just for her and she was just saying goodbye to Reggie and Moose, when her phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she waved goodbye to the pair and moved to a quieter area of the theatre back stage. She leant against one of the prop boxes and raised the phone to her ear.

"Hello, is this Elizabeth Cooper?" The voice on the other end was male and unfamiliar to her.

"This is Elizabeth, yeah," she answered cautiously, there weren't many people who called her by her full first name.

"My name is Dr. Michael Kawolski, I'm your mother's specialist." Betty felt her heart stop, her breathing already becoming more laboured. She had been looking after her mum for two years now and you didn't just get a routine call from a specialist. You only got a call if something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Your mother has been admitted," Betty gasped, the guilt already building that she had gone to rehersals today and wasn't there for her today. She should have known when her mom couldn't finish her breakfast that morning that something wasn't right, but Alice had insisted she go and she had her phone if anything went wrong.

"She's okay, but." the voice paused, and Betty could already feel the tears welling in her eyes, she knew it was coming. The news had been coming for two years despite the treatment and the sacrifice, this day was always around the corner. "The cancer has spread to her brain." Betty felt the floor fall from under her. Her body dropping to the ground her arms braced against the box, preventing her from slumping over completely.

"Okay." She managed to somehow get her lips to form the word, before she felt the lump in her throat becoming larger and she felt that she could no longer speak.

"She will be discharged after some more tests and she can receive visitors now," he said, and Betty could only nod, her voice still not capable of making a sound. "When you come to the hospital we will need to talk about advance care planning."

Somehow she managed to thank him before she hung up the phone, or it dropped from her hand, she wasn't sure. She pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her head down, and let the tears flow. They racked her body, as she struggled to breathe. She knew she was rocking, it felt like she was rocking. She knew she should get up start making her way to the hospital, but here in the dark corner of the backstage she was safe, maybe if she just stayed here it would all go away.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, jolting her out of her thoughts as it rubbed gently. Kevin must have been staying back late and she was thankful for the company. The hand crossed from her shoulder to the other and she could feel herself being pulled into his body, and she leant in completely, taking solace in the human comfort. Only the body didn't feel like Kevin and it didn't smell like Kevin. Kevin didn't smell like coffee and cigarettes, she felt her body jolt at the unfamiliar scent. She looked up to see Jughead Jones looking down at her, she blinked back tears to make sure her eyes weren't playing a trick on her.

"Sorry, but it looked like you needed it." She felt his body go to move away from her "I shouldn't have- " Her hand shot out grabbing his arm and keeping him in place.

"You surprised me, that's all. I thought you were Kevin." She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, as if trying to erase the real Betty Cooper and putting on the one everyone preferred to see. She needed someone to hold her right now, to feel another person's touch. He kept his arms around her. Jughead had joined the company a few years ago working in the tech department, he had gone to her high school but had kept to himself more than most. She didn't know much about him, but he had always been kind to her even when giving the other actors a hard time during tech rehearsals. "My mom -"

"She's not well," he interrupted so she didn't need to explain further. "I overheard you talking to Kevin."

"She's worse." Betty straightened up, pulling herself reluctantly from the warmth of his body. "I need to get to the hospital," she explained, standing up and picking her phone up from beside her, placing it back in her bag.

"I can drive you," he said quickly and Betty considered his offer, and she wanted so desperately to accept it but something held her back, she had burdened him enough with her own problems.

"I'll be fine." She noted the disappointment on his face. "But thank you." Offering him a smile, not as beaming as it would be usually but still genuine in it's intention, she stepped away. He gave her shoulder one last squeeze before she left, making her way to the hospital.

Shaking her head from those memories that would be better forgotten because they had never meant anything, especially not to him, Betty found herself running into a solid object. She had collided into none other than the current thorn in her side. She gave a loud groan as she moved away from him.

"Just couldn't help yourself, hey?" She asked, her tone was harsher than she had expected it to be.

"Kevin asked for a favour, I'm helping out," Jughead replied somberly as he went to move past her. He was avoiding her eyes, his face downturned as she only stared at him.

"Why did you even come back?" She countered angrily back at him as he made his way backstage.

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself." She heard him mumble under his breath as he continued.


	6. Do Not Be So Bitter With Me

_Thank you again Jandy (jandjsalmon) for beta'ing this chapter, it is so great to have you along for this ride and your help in developing this world and it's characters. Also to zombiekittez's theatre know how which I am trying to do justice to._

 _Thank you to everyone who is reading this and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.  
_

 _Thank you for all of your comments and follows and favourites. I love hearing your theories on what happened in the past and how the story is progressing._

Do Not Be So Bitter With Me.

Betty paced the small theatre anxiously. She had texted Jughead the day after she bumped into him outside Kevin's office. After his initial suggestion that they meet at her apartment or at the bar, they had finally settled on meeting at the theatre,. Betty preferred an environment that would provide them equal footing and would maintain the distance that she was trying to keep between them.

She scrolled through the messages on her phone. She wasn't sure what she was looking for in them, an indication perhaps of his true intentions. It was impossible for her to believe that he would agree to something like this without there being some sort of benefit to himself. Jughead Jones was not one to actively put himself in the spotlight and he was definitely not the type to do someone a favour out of the goodness of his heart.

After waiting what seemed like forever, Betty heard the door open and she quickly put her phone back away in her pocket.

The man in question entered the theatre warily and she noticed his eyes scanning the room looking for her. She was sitting cross legged in the middle of the stage with her worn copy of the play in her lap, a highlighter beside her, and her pen in her hand gently tapping against her leg. She had been preparing for their session since the night before. As he made his way over to her slowly, the tapping of the pen against her leg intensified, her fingers betraying the nerves causing somersaults in her stomach. She stood up, grabbing her book, and putting the pen and highlighter in her back pocket.

Taking a deep breath, she frowned and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You're late." She moved across the stage to meet him.

"Good afternoon to you too, Betts," he replied dryly.

She felt her skin prickle at his nickname for her which he had asked him already more than once not to use. She considered correcting him but instead decided this time to be the bigger person and let it pass this time.

"I had to sort something out at the bar," he continued as he made his way up the steps. He stood awkwardly in front of her, his hands jammed in his pockets. She took in his appearance and noted that he looked tired, but then he always did these days.

"Just text me next time." She wanted to to argue with him but she didn't, she held it back. She was used to holding things back. "Anyway, I've been making some notes on your character."

"You think I can't interpret a character from the text?" He looked at her insulted, ignoring as Betty shook her head. "You remember I majored in English, right?"

Of course she did. She remembered everything about him. He may have had the smarts and superior knowledge of the English language, but according to Kevin, at the moment Jughead's performance was severely lacking, trailing behind even Dilton's.

"Kevin asked me to come here and help you. Part of acting is knowing what motivates your character." She explained simply. Betty opened her book to his lines, her finger moving down to find her place again.

The frown hadn't left his face. "I think I have a handle on his motivations, Betts." She stiffened again at the name, finally rounding on him as she closedthe distance between them.

"I've warned you about that." Her teeth were clenched, her hands closed in tight fists by her sides. The frustration and anger that had been swirling inside her had startedto bubble up and make its way to the surface. Maybe taking the high road wasn't the way to go.

"Kevin said you would help with the acting, that's all," he answered darkly, ignoring her warning which only made her more frustrated.

"I'm surprised you even agreed to this. I thought you liked slinking around in the shadows, passing judgement on the rest of us."

"That's just what you think I like to do." He challenged her with a glare.

"So why are you here then? Is it just to torture me?" That's what he had been doing wasn't it. It seemed everywhere she turned there he was. As if fate or a higher power was playing some cruel game with her- shoving her failure in her face and showing her what she could never have.

"Me torture you? That's a good one, Betts," he replied darkly.

That was it. She stalked up to him, pulling herself up to his height by standing on her toes. She glared into his eyes, and he stared right back, each one waiting for the other to blink. After a long moment, he was the first to turn away and walk across the stage. He lifted his hands to readjust the beanie on his head in one of the nervous habits she remembered. Round 1 to Betty Cooper.

"Let's get this over with. I'm only doing this to help Kevin. To help make this play a success," she clarified, "That's all that matters."

"Same as me then." There was a pause between them and Betty already could feel her anxiety levels rising yet again. His deep blue eyes seemed to stare right through her and she tried to break away from his gaze but couldn't. "If we are going to work together we need to talk about what happened."

That was enough to break the spell and she looked away. "We are rehearsing together so I can help you get on that stage and turn in a half-decent performance. I promised Kevin that I wouldn't let you make a fool of yourself or this company. But that's it. I can't-" Betty struggled to find the words, "For me to be able to do that, I can't talk about before. Us. Before. The past. Because that's what it is,the past."

 _She didn't mean to spend more time at the theatre it just kind of happened. She had been grateful for her mom's health insurance and the extra care it provided with nurses coming in in the morning and night to help with showering and meals. She had told her mother that night in the hospital that she was going to quit the play; she would instead stay home and care for her. But Alice had insisted that she continue. 'You have made a commitment Betty. Cooper women don't go back on their word.'_

 _Soon enough though, Betty craved the escape from her home. She felt some days as if it wasn't really her mom in that house anymore; the cancer had taken so much of what made Alice Cooper herself away. Betty found herself hanging around the theatre long after rehearsals had finished, always asking Kevin if there was anything she could help with. He would tell her to go home where she was needed and Betty would nod and smile because she knew he was trying to help her but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She found a refuge with the tech department, who were always only too happy to have an extra pair of hands helping out. She was helping Ethel to organise the props in the storage room, cataloguing to see what extra items may be needed for this performance._

" _I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you want one?"_

 _Ethel looked up at her and shook her head. "I'm okay. But you go get one, you deserve a break."_

 _Betty jumped up from her cross-legged position on the floor, and handed the notebook to Ethel which contained the company inventory.._

" _I won't be long," she promised as she left the small storage room, and Ethel waved as she left. She was making her way to the stage door exit when she heard a male voice coming from the sound room._

" _I wander lost through pale gray streets. Hoping to only find fields of green. The cold bites, hoping only for the warmth of the sun to reach into my bones. That's where I find you wandering, lost and alone like me. A hand offered like a tree branch, outstretched and beckoning, and yet I can't seem to grasp it, as hope only flitters away."_

" _That was beautiful." Betty stepped away from the door frame she had been leaning against as she listened and he jumped a little at the sound of her voice._

" _Betty." Jughead shoved the notebook into his jacket pocket as he looked nervously towards her; she had obviously interrupted a private moment._

" _Sorry, I was just on my way to get coffee and I couldn't help but hear you. It was really, really good."_

" _It's for class, final year. Unfortunately poetry is an unavoidable necessity of an English degree," the dark haired young man explained, his hands securing his beanie on top of his head. "It's not very good."_

" _I disagree. But what would I know I'm just about to be a high school teacher."_

" _Shaping the great minds of the future," he quipped, trying to avoid looking her in the eyes. "You mentioned coffee?"_

" _Yeah, needed a break from inventory. Ethel is a gun though, she just keeps going."_

" _She sure is. I think I need a change of scenery myself. Would you mind if I tagged along?"_

" _Not at all. Some company might be nice." Betty followed him through the stage door exit, as they made their way to the local coffee house near the theatre._

" _Thanks for coming with me." They were walking beside each other on the way to the local coffee shop._

" _I needed a break from poetry, besides it's not often one of you actor types offers to get coffee with one of 'us'. I wouldn't live it down if I didn't accept. Especially after all the help you've been to Ethel and the rest of the tech crew."_

" _We're not that bad are we?" He shot her a look, and Betty considered this. "Oka, maybe we are a little demanding." He continued to look at her, his expression unchanged. "Okay we're bad, but I'm definitely not on Cheryl's level."_

" _No-one is on Cheryl's level," he responded, his expression finally lightening and a chuckle escaped. As they approached the coffee house he moved ahead to open the door for her, allowing her to enter first. She approached the counter and ordered her extremely creamy and just barely iced coffee drink with extra whipped cream she could already picture the disapproving look on her mother's face. Jughead's order was much simpler as he ordered a black coffee in the largest size they had, no sugar. She went to hand her cash to the barrister when Jughead moved her hand away, pulling a note out of his pocket instead._

" _My treat this time." Betty found herself blushing at the implication that there would be another time. They sat at a nearby table while they waited for their order. She was twisting the handle of her bag nervously as he watched her. They hadn't spoken to each other since that night, when Betty had received the phone call and Jughead had been her shoulder to cry on, literally. "So you've been sticking around the theatre a lot this year." Betty met his eyes and he gave her an encouraging smile._

" _I'm just trying to help out this year," she answered, as their coffees hit the table. Betty's eyes lit up at the creamy, sweet drink that was placed in front of her. It was a drink her mom would have never allowed. Betty had found herself doing more and more of the things that her mother would not have allowed. She took a long sip from her straw under his careful gaze._

" _You have a main role, usually you would be at home rehearsing."_

" _How do you know that?" His eyes avoided her gaze, as she asked the question. He looked as though he was trying to come up with a convincing answer._

" _Those of us backstage, well we notice things a lot more than you might realise." He took a sip of his coffee and continued looking past her, at the ceiling, and anywhere but at her._

 _Betty wasn't convinced. "You haven't been stalking me have you?" She was teasing him, and she noticed the way cheeks reddened a little at this, glad to know that she wasn't the only one who was blushing today._

" _I wouldn't dream of it, but I may have noticed you though." Betty saw a hopefulness in his eyes as he said his last statement, his eyes searching her face for a reaction of some kind._

 _She couldn't help the happy smile from spreading across her face as she silently took another sip from her coffee. He's been easy to notice too. She just didn't know how to tell him that since their moment outside Kevin's office, her eyes always seemed to find him too._

" _I don't want to go home," she finally admitted her eyes downcast in shame or guilt she wasn't sure. She hadn't meant to share that but there was something about him that made her comfortable. Like she could tell him anything and he wouldn't judge her for it._

" _Your mom?"_

" _It's like it isn't even her any more. She sounds like her sometimes, but she doesn't look like her, she doesn't talk like her. It just," she took a deep breath to steady herself. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this; it's not your problem." His hand reached out across the table, his fingers brushing across her knuckles in a gesture that was so simple yet made Betty's heart thump in her chest at the contact._

" _I asked," he replied simply as he clasped her hand in his own, his thumb moving slowly across her knuckles. She craved the human contact, the warmth of another person. Her mother had never been one for overt acts of affection; the cancer had not changed that._

" _Thank you, Juggie." The nickname slipped so easily from her lips and he didn't correct her. She smiled back at him and was grateful when he did the same. That was the first time she felt she had earned a genuine Jughead Jones smile._

"Betts, come on." Jughead reached for her and she snatched her arm away from him before stepping back.

"No, Jug, I'm not going back there. I can't." She couldn't. There was already a bleeding and festering scar on her heart from Jughead Jones and she was not keen to re-open that particular wound so the world could see it.

"I want to. I have to." He was pleading with her, his hands stretched out almost in surrender, like he was approaching a wild animal. Like _she_ was the crazed one.

"Well, it's not about what you want, Jughead." Betty swallowed hard, her voice raspy and tight as she tried to control it. She swore she was not going to cry in front of him, she was not going to let him see that weakness in her again.

Jughead let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. Whatever you want, Betts." There he was again playing the victim and it twisted her up inside. He wasn't the victim, not even close.

"Don't you dare make me out to be the bad guy," she snapped back at him.

"Fine." His shoulders slumped once more. He picked up her book from the floor, holding it out to her like a peace offering. "Let's just get this over with then."

"My thoughts exactly."

Tonelessly, Jughead continued, "So what are my character's motivations, all knowing one?"

Betty ignored his jibe, instead flipping her book to Demetrius' opening lines.

"First-" His eyes followed her finger. "-Here, read. And try to put some feeling into it." He rolled his eyes at her as he looked over the lines before he began to speak.

" _Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield_

 _Thy crazed title to my certain right."_

He read out the lines and his pronunciation was perfect, Betty had no doubt about that but the words coming from his mouth held no emotion.

"Wow, be still my beating heart," she deadpanned with her hand pressed on her chest over her heart. She noticed the twitch in his jaw. That had hurt. Good.

"Well, what do you suggest," he snapped back at her. Betty straightened herself, as if in front of her English class teaching a text, imploring her students to get into the minds of the characters on the pages in front of them. To be able to bring them to life.

"Demetrius is a proud man and he has an air of superiority about him. He thinks that Hermia should love him because he has a title. It's not about feelings for him, not really. It's about 's hand in marriage gives him that status."

"So, he's _not_ just a man who doesn't know what he wants and just decides to go for whoever is available." She knew what he was doing, that he was trying to bait her. She wasn't going to let him this time.

"That oversimplification is why you're not an actor," she smiled smugly.

"Please! If a Neanderthal like Reggie Mantle can pull it off-"

"Judging people again, Jughead?" She tutted with her tongue. "Reggie is one of the strongest actors in our company, so yeah he can pull off something you can't." She knew that Reggie had bullied Jughead in high school, the whole company did. Kevin had had to on a number of occasions separate the two especially during tech rehearsals where tensions were already high. "You just keep that superior attitude while you're reading the lines and we'll be fine. Go again, Demetrius."

He read out the lines again, his voice changing slightly as he managed to intone at all the right places. He waited for her feedback.

"Better." She wasn't going to give him a standing ovation if that was what he was expecting, but he was a quick learner and knew how to take instructions. If he continued to learn this quickly the whole exercise may not be as torturous as she had first envisioned. She flipped through the pages of the play to the section she was avoiding in her mind. It was the conversation between herself as Helena and him as Demetrius. The one they had practised days earlier before she knew he would be taking on the role in Moose's place. "Okay. The next part is the conversation between Helena and Demetrius."

"You want to step me through the motivations for this one as well?" His head cocked to the side awaiting her answer, his patented smirk spreading across his face again. Betty glowered. She fucking hated his snarky attitude. Sometimes she wanted to just slap the stupid look off his face.

"Well, obviously Helena is in love with Demetrius and he doesn't love her back. He makes that quite clear." Her tone was sharper than she'd wanted it to be. She didn't want him to say those lines out loud again, in her mind he didn't need to learn how to emote or act them. He embodied them.

"And yet Helena just continues to follow him around like a lost puppy, begging at his heels for any scrap of attention that happens to drop into her lap." Jughead's voice was challenging. She knew what he was doing, trying to get her to snap. She wasn't an idiot. She knew the what the whole company thought of her pursuit of Archie, she knew why there had been giggles when it was mentioned that she was playing the role. She was Helena, and everyone knew it.

"I know my character's motivations." She wasn't going to let him get to her. She was just getting herself back together. If she lived this role she could play it superbly and it had worked for her before. That time it had led to one of the best performances of her life.

"Oh I know you do Betts. It's almost like you've lived them." He wasn't going to let up. She'd never heard his voice so hard.

"Wow, I think Kevin may have to change the play to Much Ado About Nothing the way you two are going at it." Betty for once breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Cheryl's cool voice filling the theatre.

"Cheryl." Jughead managed through gritted teeth.

"I was just coming to check my dressing room was up to scratch before our group rehearsal today." She was dressed perfectly. Cheryl Blossom always was, signature red of course. Her cape thrown over her shoulder and a simple spider broach on her collar which no one quite knew the meaning of.

Betty glowered. "We don't have dressing rooms, Cheryl." At this Cheryl smiled, her white teeth gleaming against the red of her lips.

"Correction, Betty. _You_ don't have a dressing room." Cheryl approached the stage stepping up to the two of them before giving a look of disgust in Jughead's direction. "Kevin knew it was the only way to keep me on board. Especially since he has decided that just anyone-" she threw a pointed look in Jughead's direction, "-can act in this thing."

"How are rehearsals with Dilton going, Cheryl?" If Cheryl wanted to play this game, Betty could too. "I heard he's so good that he might outshine you on opening night."

"Elizabeth, if you want to defend your boyfriend's honour here fine, but don't insult my intelligence with such a low blow."

"He's not my boyfriend," Betty said quickly, her voice higher than she had intended.

"Me think she doth protest too much." Cheryl placed a well-manicured hand on Betty's shoulder. "Finally given up on the ginger stallion, I see. Well, I suppose it was about time don't you think?" Her face was twisted to convey sympathy but Betty knew better. The expressions that painted Cheryl's face was very rarely genuine.

"Ta- ta for now." She stalked off the stage in the direction of the locker room, her red stiletto heels clicking on the hardwood the whole way. Betty and Jughead looked at each other, as Betty milled over Cheryl's words.

"She doesn't know, does she?" His tone was low enough so that only she could hear him.

"You really think I would have told Cheryl Blossom of all people?" Her phone vibrated in her pocket, she pulled it out to find a message from Veronica, saying that she was on her way. They had agreed to meet up for lunch after Betty's rehearsal. "I need to go."

"We got through two lines." He objected, his brow furrowed in legitimate frustration.

"Well, you were late," she replied blithely, "And then you spent the first half of our 'lesson' doing everything you could do to antagonize me and I'm not going to be late for my lunch date. Besides I think you have the next part down, trust me." She didn't need to hear Demetrius' tell her how much he didn't love her again, how much he didn't care for her. Not coming from Jughead's mouth. Betty started to make a move toward the doors at the rear of the theatre as he followed her.

"She's meeting you here, right?" His voice was low, not pleading but full of some kind of emotion she didn't have the time nor the inclination to examine at this moment in time.

"I can meet her out front."

"Betts, just work with me before she gets here… please?" Betty stopped, considering what he had said. She had an out, but she didn't want to let Kevin down. She needed to help Jughead either way, and while they were both here. Besides Veronica couldn't be that far away, and then she would be free. She pulled out her phone as she glanced at the time before looking back at Jughead.

"Fine. Until she gets here." Betty sighed and returned to the middle of the stage before handing Jughead back the play.


	7. All Tender Me

_Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has left a comment on this fic, I am so overwhelmed by the response this fic has had and I look forward to sharing more and more of their history with you._

 _Thanks again to my beta Jandy for making this all the best it can be._

Chapter 7:

All Tender Me

" _You spend your passion on a misprised mood:_

 _I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;_

 _Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell."_

Jughead was starting to get it. Betty could tell and it was hard not to show how pleased that made her. He was now performing the lines and was no longer just reading words from the page but instead was feeling them- _living_ them. He was invoking the strength and confidence that she imagined Demetrius would have and she had to admit that it suited him. Not that she'd tell _him_ that..

" _I pray thee, tell me then that he is well."_ She was reading Hermia's lines for him in order to give him something to play off. It still stung a little that she had not been cast in this part, but Helena was starting to grow on her more and more.

She and Jughead had mutually agreed to skip over their shared scenes as they would be rehearsing them again together soon enough and could practice then.

" _An if I could, what should I get therefore?"_ Jughead moved towards her, his head tilting slightly as he asked the question. His body had even started to become part of his performance, moving around the stage space rather than being stuck on the same spot, and using his hands to emphasize while he read lines.

" _A privilege never to see me more._

 _And from thy hated presence part I so:_

 _See me no more, whether he be dead or no."_

Betty looked at him eagerly, waiting for him to finish his lines and end the scene.

" _There is no following her in this fierce vein:_

 _Here therefore for a while I will remain._

 _So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow_

 _For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe:_

 _Which now in some slight measure it will pay,_

 _If for his tender here I make some stay."_

Jughead stopped and then looked expectedly at her for her appraisal.

Betty was not entirely successful in managing to push down the urge to smile at him. "Okay, so that was pretty good," She admitted reluctantly, as though it pained her to pay him the compliment. Sometimes it was so hard to pretend to be indifferent. Sometimes being hurt and angry with him made her so tired.

He gave an exaggerated bow, letting his playfulness usually hidden under that beanie and perpetual scowl show through and Betty wasnot entirely successfully in managing to push down her smile. He looked like he was about to say something when startlingly,there was the sound of clapping from behind them and they both spun around to find Veronica Lodge sitting in the front row.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" the brunette asked with a deeply ingrained smirk on her face.

Betty found herself wondering just how long her friend had been standing there.

"That was quite good," Veronica continued. "Betty must be an excellent _teacher_ Jughead. You actually sound like you know what you're doing."

Jughead refused to meet her gaze, instead looking down at his own feet briefly before glancing at Betty, who found herself smiling proudly and almost fondly as she looked back at him. He never could take a compliment.

Remembering herself, Betty's smile fell and she stepped away from where she'd come quite close to him."Well, that's my lunch date," she said quickly, walking over to pick up her bag and shoving the copy of the play into it before swinging it over her shoulder.

"Hold on, Betty, we have some time," Veronica offered, still amused as Betty shot her a look urging her to help her escape.

"No, we don't. We made a reservation," Betty corrected her. Her anxiety was beginning to kick in as Veronica instead rose from her seat and started to make her way toward the stage. She held out her hand to Jughead.

"I don't think we have been formally introduced." He took her hand hesitantly, as if confused by the gesture and wary at the same time. "I'm Veronica Lodge."

"Jughead Jones." He shook her hand briefly before releasing her and shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"Oh, I know. I've heard all about you." She turned towards Betty who continued to stare, aghast at the scene that was playing out in front of her. She hadn't told Veronica all about him at all in fact it was the complete opposite. "It is so _noble_ what you are doing. Stepping in to save the play after what happened to poor Moose." Veronica smiled sympathetically at him while Jughead was eyeing her warily as if trying to determine whether she was genuine or not. Betty moved forward to link her arm with Veronica's.

"We need to go or we'll be late," Betty interrupted, stepping in between the two of them facing Veronica. Mouthing 'Let's go!' before directing her eyes in the direction of the stage door exit.

"Why don't you join us, Jughead?" Betty's eyed widened at Veronica's offer and she couldn't stop herself from turning towards him in shock.

"No, thanks. I really should head back to the bar. JB has night class tonight and I should help get everything ready before she has to go." Betty breathed a sigh of relief as she gave Veronica a pointed look.

"That's too bad." Veronica pouted before turning back towards Betty. "We will miss his company won't we, Betty?"

"Can we just go?" Betty implored Veronica, linking her arm in her own. .

"See you next week, Jughead." Veronica managed to wave at him, as Betty dragged her away with an urgent and not-so-subtle tug of her arm. She noticed Veronica giving her a coy look as she jumped in the passenger seat of Veronica's car. Veronica's very expensive looking car. She almost felt like she should wipe her feet before getting in.

"Don't start," the blonde said simply. Veronica only smiled at her as she pulled away from the curb. Betty stared out the passenger side window absentmindedly, trying to keep her thoughts from wandering back to him.

" _I didn't even know you had an apartment. I just assumed you were living at home," Jughead said as Betty rifled through her bag looking for her keys._

" _I do most days, but I got this place when my mom was doing better, and I couldn't bear to give it up. It's like my own private retreat." In fact, it was the first thing 'd done for herself back when Alice had entered remission for the first and only time._

 _Returning to Riverdale to care for her mom had been a tough decision. She had felt like she had made a home in New York, that it suited her had helped her to grow. Returning to Riverdale had seemed like a regression, and having found herself once more under the watchful eye of her mother, Betty had started to adopt some of her old habits that she had worked so hard to eliminate while she was was finding the urge to bury her nails in her palms, to leave them a bloody, ugly mess resurfacing._

 _She turned the key in the lock and opened her front door allowing Jughead to enter ahead of her._

" _It's nice, Betts." She smiled at the nickname. She wasn't sure when he had started calling her that but it made her feel special. She liked the way it sounded when he said it. He moved around the apartment, taking it all in, looking at the pictures she chose to display and the trinkets she'd used to decorate her private space. It felt like a big step for Betty to let someone else into her private haven. She had sworn her mouth had run away from her when she invited him over. She had suggested that they could work together with his course work. He had been so supportive to her during the last month and she had wanted to repay that kindness. A nagging voice in her head also said that that kindness wasn't the only reason she wanted to invite him to her apartment, but she would definitely blush if she entertained those thoughts any further._

" _It's okay. It's mine." She shrugged her shoulders, as she set herself down onto the couch her legs crossed and hands clasped on her knees. He sat down next to her, placing a safe distance between the two of them. She still wasn't sure what this was – what they were -but she found herself seeking him out when she was helping backstage. When she was on stage she would try to see him behind the light, smiling down on her. He had always asked how her mom was, how she was. She was grateful to have one more friend at this time, besides Kevin. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was something more. She found herself wondering what it might be like to feel his lips on her own. What his hair might feel like if she ran her fingers through it. Sometimes when she caught his deep green eyes looking at her, she wondered if he might be thinking the same things about her._

" _So, did you want to practice?" Her mind jolted at his words, breaking herself out of her thoughts. Not understanding him, she shot him a questioning look as her eyes narrowed._

" _You're lines," he clarified, a warm smile lighting up his face._

" _Oh."_

" _Big night coming up, Blanche." At his mention of opening night she couldn't help but wring her hands together. She still got the opening night jitters no matter how many plays she had been in she couldn't help herself, anxiety was always bubbling under the surface for her._

" _You don't mind? I mean, we are meant to be helping you with school." He must have heard her say the lines a million times by now, they had just finished dress rehearsals after the gruelling tech rehearsals. Hours spent on stage repeating lines, lights following her carefully. It was strange but it was somewhat comforting to know that he was there behind the lights, watching and keeping it trained on her._

" _I don't mind." She smiled at him as she jumped up and made her way to the kitchen. He moved to watch her, his arm over the back of the couch._

" _Well, if I am going to make you sit through another round of me reading my lines as Blanche DuBois slowly descends into madness, then I should at least feed you." Betty opened the cupboard scanning the shelves. She hadn't been home in so long the cupboards were nearly bare. Frowning she picked up a box of microwave popcorn, relieved when there was at least one packet left. She opened the fridge and then immediately shut it again, embarrassed about the state of it. It really had been a long time since she had spent the night at her apartment. She spun around to put the packet in the microwave when she collided with his chest. She hadn't even noticed him move from the couch._

 _The popcorn box dropping to the ground in her surprise. She didn't move, looking up at him and she realised she was holding her breath. Letting out the breath she was holding she met his eyes. They held her gaze, the intensity of his gaze holding her there unmoving. Her mouth felt dry and she wanted to say something anything to move forward but it was as though she was held steady in this moment, with him._

 _She felt his hand trail up her arm, her eyes flicking towards the movement watching as his hand left her sight but soon felt the warmth of his hand cupping her face._

" _I really want to kiss you, Betty Cooper." His tone was low and restrained as he asked for her permission. Always the gentleman. "Have for a while now." She tried placing her arms around his waist, deciding that it felt nice, holding him felt like something she wanted and had been waiting for. She felt herself nodding to his request._

 _Her hands grasped the fabric of his sweater as he moved towards her, his lips ghosting gently across her own, moving slowly as if to give her a final moment to change her mind if she wanted. She wasn't going anywhere. His faint scent of coffee and cigarettes overwhelmed her senses. Her breath caught and her lips pursed as she waited for him to close the distance once more._

 _She jumped at the feeling of her phone vibrating against her leg and as she did he pulled back slightly as well. She shook her head trying to recollect herself as she pulled the phone out, she swore if it was Kevin calling her to run a costume change by her she would scream. Her heart stopped as she saw there was no caller ID. The hospital. She pulled the phone to her ear answering the call._

" _Elizabeth Cooper." Her mind was scrambling to try and pull together a confident front. Her mind was still racing from her encounter with Jughead and she was finding it difficult to think of the possible reasons why the hospital might be calling her._

" _Elizabeth, this is Nurse Reynolds. I'm sorry I have to tell you this over the telephone, but your mother has suffered a setback and is deteriorating quickly." Betty could feel the tears starting to well already, she blinked them back furiously and Jughead's hold on her tightened slightly. She had to be strong. She could be strong for her. "She's been brought to the hospital and you really ought to get here quickly."_

" _Okay, thank you." Betty quickly hung up the call, meeting Jughead's concerned eyes. She wanted to tell him what had happened but instead stood there, willing her mouth to open but unable to find the words. She swore she couldn't feel her limbs. It was as if they were numbed or gone and all that was left was some phantom. "The hospital," she finally managed, pulling herself out of his embrace and lifting her hands to rub the front of her face. "My mom."_

 _Jughead tucked a loose hair behind her ear and ducked his head so she could look him in the eye. "I'll drive," he offered without hesitation. His arm wrapping around her shoulder as she found herself leaning on him for support. She didn't refuse his offer this time._

"Okay, girl spill. I have held my tongue for as long as I can." Veronica had been watching her closely since they had sat down at the restaurant. Betty in turn had pretended not to notice and tried to generate a conversation on another topic, any other topic, which Veronica had seemed happy enough to pay along with for a little while. Apparently that time was now over.

"I'm not sure -" Veronica held up a hand to silence her which had Betty snapping her mouth shut.

"You and that boy have History. Capital 'H' History." Betty grabbed the menu and placed it in front of her face eagerly examining its contents before glancing over the top of it to see Veronica's intense gaze still directed at her. Her friend quirked a perfectly pencilled eyebrow as she met Betty's eyes. "Don't deny it," Veronica pressed further.

"Oh, fine." Betty slammed the menu down in front of her. Veronica was obviously not one to let things go. "We may have had some - ." Her mind searched for what exactly were the right words for what her and Jughead had shared, it wasn't a relationship, a flirtation, a friendship, a series of moments. "Shared some moments. But that was it and it was a long time ago." She damned the blush that she could feel creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.

"You liked him," Veronica returned smugly, leaning back in her chair as if she had finally gotten Betty to admit something.

"Yeah, I liked him," she admitted begrudgingly. "Liked as in _past_ tense." Her jaw was set in defiance, it was the past wasn't it? She didn't want to get wrapped up in him all over again. She had moved on. She had re-evaluated and she was in love… well, she was interested… no, she _liked_ Archie.

"I thought you were going to help me get Archie?" She huffed and Veronica's look softened and she almost looked like she wanted to reach out and touch Betty's hand.

"You are not easily dissuaded by much, are you Betty Cooper?" Veronica took a sip of her water as she eyed Betty carefully.

"No." Betty straightened herself in her chair. Archie was her focus she had let herself become distracted for long enough. Indulging in past memories and touches long since forgotten. She was sure. He had been the _one_ for so long ever since that first time they performed together and she had decided that that was the man for her. The perfect man with his charming smile, a voice that made people take notice and handsome. But much more than any of that Archie Andrews was uncomplicated. He was the kind of man that her mother would be proud to see her with. Admiring Archie had been an easy task until Jughead Jones had thrown a spanner in the works. The year he took a break from the company she was focused completely on her pursuit of having Archie Andrews as her boyfriend. The perfect couple. Having Jughead back had made her second guess herself. She was finding herself more and more losing herself in her memories of her time spent with Jughead, diverting her attention away from Archie until other memories, ones that she had pushed so far down, came to the surface and reminded her why Archie was the one.

"Well, I was thinking we have our first group rehearsal next week. How about a private little rehearsal of our own back at my penthouse. A fully stocked bar, a balcony overlooking Riverdale." Veronica wove a pretty picture and Betty could already picture herself and Archie with French champagne, overlooking the town. It would be the perfect opportunity to let him know how she felt. There was however one flaw in Veronica's plan.

"You said group rehearsal?" Betty narrowed her gaze at Veronica. Jughead, it seemed, had reluctantly become part of their 'group,' once again inserting himself into her life.

"Nothing gets past you does it B?" Veronica smiled at her knowingly. "I'll _distract_ the stage hand, if that's what you're worried about," she said with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Betty felt her body stiffen at Veronica's suggestion. The thought of Veronica with Jughead made her stomach twist. Her fingers itched to curl into her palms to bury that feeling back down again. She should agree, shouldn't she. She knew that Archie was interested in Veronica, it was obvious in the way he looked at her. The way his body turned towards the raven beauty when they conversed, him always slightly leaning in. Having Veronica, _distract_ , Jughead as she put it would remove the two current main barriers to her goal and yet there was something holding her back from agreeing.

"Or not?" Veronica interrupted her thoughts and Betty met her eyes trying to maintain a neutral expression so she didn't betray what was going on in her mind.

"It's just him and Archie don't really get along and I don't know how I am meant to woo Archie if he is there making snide comments," she replied lamely, she knew that wasn't the real reason she didn't want Jughead there. He would only complicate matters.

"Hence the distraction." Veronica said simply. There was that twisting in her stomach again. "Trust me Betty. I can make this work." Veronica said with a confident smile, her hands clasping on the table. Betty forced a smile before nodding.

"Okay, fine," she mumbled, slumping back in her chair.

"By the end of the night you'll have your boy. That's the Veronica Lodge guarantee." she finished with a wink. "Now let's order some lunch I'm starving." She smiled sweetly before signalling the waiter back to the table.


	8. Set Your Heart At Rest

_Authors Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out guys, there_ was _some_ writers _block, some illness and some real life crap to sort through before I could finish this chapter off. Thank you to my wonderful beta Jandy who helps me get through every chapter._

Betty gave a quick, sharp knock on Kevin's office door. She had lost count of the times he had told her she didn't need to knock but some manners were so deeply ingrained they felt wrong to let slip. There had also been that one time when she hadn't knocked and caught Moose and Kevin in a compromising position on his desk. She heard his voice from the other side telling her to come in, and she entered the small office.

"Betty!" he exclaimed happily, rising from his chair to cross the room and envelope her in a hug; Kevin was a hugger always had been. "You look gorgeous."

She smiled shyly at the compliment, her hands running over the material of the light blue dress she had chosen for the rehearsals and the party to follow as he released her from his grip.

"Thanks Kevin. How's Moose?" The coy smile that crossed Kevin's face as she asked her question did not go unnoticed by her. He had texted her last night saying he was going to go visit the recently discharged from hospital Moose and Betty had simply sent a winky face emoji in response.

"He's good." She raised her eyebrows at his answer knowing from the look on Kevin's face and the distinct bounce in his step that it was not as simple as Moose being 'good'.

"Just good?" She pried a little further.

"Very good." Betty couldn't think of anyone better to be looking after Moose, and she was happy that they were spending time together again. Ever since their brief encounter last summer she had hoped that the two of them would find their way back to each other, who knew all it would take was an errant car and two broken legs. A bit dramatic but this was Kevin.

"And how are you're lessons going?" Her friend and director asked effectively changing the subject.

"Fine." A short quick answer. Much like his own to her question.

"I spoke to Veronica and she said you had been working wonders on our little budding actor. I am excited to see how he has improved under your guidance."

Betty couldn't decipher whether that was a smirk on Kevin's face or not. She was also not keen on the idea of Veronica and Kevin talking with each other about whatever this was between her and Jughead. Not that there was anything between her and Jughead. She just didn't want them talking about her business.

"He's doing okay." Betty purposely downplayed the progress that they had both made together.

"I think you are selling yourself short Betty. And Jughead too." Betty couldn't meet his eyes as Kevin said his name. "Either way I am excited to see the progress." She nodded and turned around to leave the small office before his voice stopped her once more. "Are you going to Veronica's tonight, after the rehearsals?"

* * *

Betty paused, her hand on the door as she deliberated what to say to him. The concern in his voice was obvious and she didn't want to worry him but she wasn't quite sure how much had Veronica shared with him. "Yeah I am."

A deep sigh came from across the room. "Just be careful okay? Archie is-"

She turned to face him at the mention of Archie's name.

"-He doesn't always know what he's doing or how he might hurt others," Kevin continued. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt, Betty."

"I will be careful, Kev," she assured him as she left the office, knowing in her heart of hearts that she would be anything but.

* * *

 _She hadn't gotten there in time. They had tried but she- they, were moments too late. Angry with herself and cursing herself for not being there- for being selfish in her own pursuit of something else- Betty had asked Jughead to drop her back off at her apartment because she couldn't bear to go back to that empty house, filled with all its memories. She had wanted her mom to leave this world in a place that was familiar and safe, not alone in a hospital bed surrounded only by medical staff._

 _Jughead had walked her to her front door, asking of course if she wanted him to stay with her. She had shook her head, telling him that for now she needed to be alone. She had seen the conflict in his eyes as he left her, tucking a loose blond hair behind her ear before giving her arm a gentle squeeze as he did. She wanted to invite him in, to let him wrap his arms around her and pull her into his chest where she could bury her face and pour her feelings, her grief, into him. But she didn't feel that she deserved to feel absolved of her grief, she didn't deserve that sort of kindness after what she had done. She hadn't been by her bedside being the dutiful daughter, instead she had been with Jughead, spending more and more time with him._

 _She walked through her apartment barely aware of her surroundings. She stopped briefly in front of one of the framed photos on her bookshelf. It was of her mother only the year before, just after she'd gone into remission. She held Polly's twins in her arms and the smile on her face had been so bright that day the camera barely did it justice. Betty couldn't feel the same way she used to when she looked at that picture. It had always brought a smile to her face but now all she felt was pain. As she felt the hot prickling sensation behind her eyes she flipped it face down._

 _She made her way to the small bathroom, turning on the shower and stripped herself bare before entering. She felt the impact of the water hitting her skin, usually it was soothing – that feeing of the water washing over her, washing away everything that she didn't need any more and making her clean again, but tonight she craved something else. Her hand reached for the tap increasing the heat until the impact of the water felt like small pinpricks all over her skin. Not fully satisfied she turned the heat up again, craving more of the burning sensation all over her body. When she was satisfied she finally let it out, letting her tears fall from her eyes to become lost in the stream of the water pouring down the drain. She wasn't sure how long she stayed in there before she turned the water off but it was long enough the water was no longer scalding. She wrapped a towel around her body and appraised her appearance in the mirror. Her skin was red and puffy. She wasn't sure if she looked like someone who had just lost her mother. She wasn't sure she looked like Betty Cooper any more._

 _She thought about calling Kevin to tell him she was pulling out of the play, there was too much to do to organize and she hadn't even called Polly yet, but as she looked at her own eyes in the mirror her mom's words were ringing in her ears. "Cooper women don't go back on their word." She moved to her bedroom holding the towel tight against her body as she picked up her worn copy of the Tennessee Williams play from her bag that had been laying on the bed. She flipped through its worn pages, feeling the smooth paper under her fingertips. She would continue, she had to._

* * *

"Okay, actors." Kevin's voice jolted her back into the present.

"And Jughead," Archie added under his breath.

Kevin approached the four of them who were seated in the front row. Veronica was seated in between Jughead and Betty at the blonde's insistence. "Let's see whether we have been practising, shall we?" He threw a look in Archie's direction and Betty knew that he was referring to Archie who had hopefully made some progress on learning his lines.

"Right. Let's start with the confrontation between the four of you. And I am going to encourage you guys to get a little physical." Betty didn't miss the look he threw in Veronica's direction. "Let's start with Demetrius, Lysander and Helena." Betty, Archie and Jughead approached the stage to join Kevin while Veronica remained seated. "Jughead get on the floor. You're sleeping at first."

Jughead shot Kevin a look before he lowered himself to the floor of the stage, bracing his hands behind his head as he lay on his back.

"Right now in this scene, Lysander has been affected by Puck's love potion and is now in love with Helena instead of his actual true love Hermia."

Betty took a deep breath in preparation to act alongside Archie for the first time since the play had begun. He flashed her a confident smile, as he met her gaze as Kevin continued his explanation. "So I am going to need to see that Archie."

"Could I not have lay down on the floor after you started this explanation?" Jughead glowered from his position on the floor.

"Sleeping people are quiet, Jughead," Kevin threw over his shoulder as put a hand on Betty's shoulder. A sympathetic rub as if he knew what was going through her mind already at performing this scene with him. But surely he had no idea.

"You ready?" Kevin asked her and she nodded. "Okay. Archie you start."

 _" Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?_ _Scorn and derision never come in tears:_ _Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,_

Archie moved towards her as he spoke his now memorized lines. Despite his casual attitude towards learning his lines, he could act, well. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she felt the strength in them. She briefly eyed Jughead who was no longer laying on his back but had propped himself up on his elbow and was watching them both closely.

 _In their nativity all truth appears._ _How can these things in me seem scorn to you,_ _Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?"_

She removed his hands from her shoulders, bringing herself up to his height while stabbing a finger forcefully into Archie's chest as she spoke.

 _"You do advance your cunning more and more._ _When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!_ _These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?_ _Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh:_ _Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,_ _Will even weigh, and both as light as tales."_

"I had no judgment when to her I swore." Archie, as Lysander, was pleading with her, trying to grasp her hand which she contemptuously tore away from his reach.

"Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er." she responded forcefully.

"Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you." Archie's words hit her full force and it was all she could do not to wince. Kevin clapped his hands together.

"Good, good." Kevin was nodding intently at their performance his finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Now get up, Jughead. You're up and remember you are affected by the love potion as well so I want to see genuine emotion here." Jughead got up from his lying position, giving an overexaggerated yawn and stretch of his arms while he did so. He was smirking at Kevin during the dramatic performance, causing the director to just roll his eyes at him.

"O Helena-"

Betty's heart stopped as he started his tone was low and rough a growl almost as he spoke.

"-To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?" Jughead grasped her hand at this and she stilled, her eyes looking at him cautiously. "Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show." He brought his other hand up to her face. Her large green eyes following his movement as his fingers ghosted lightly over her lips. Her breathing became more erratic.

 _"Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!_ _That pure congealed white, high Taurus snow,_ _Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow"_

His hand then trailed away from her lips to cup her face briefly before trailing down her neck, down her arm to interlock his fingers with hers. Betty could hardly breathe.

"When thou hold'st up thy hand: O, let me kiss" He raised her hand up to his face before brushing his lips lightly across her knuckles. As the beat of her heart started to thump loudly in her ears.

"This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!" Jughead made to close the distance between them before stopping short of her lips. "Your line Betts," he whispered and she pulled away abruptly as though she'd been caught. Jarring her hands from his own, Kevin's thunderous clapping filled the stage before Betty could remember what her lines were.

"Yes, yes, yes." He took Jughead by the shoulder and squeezed tightly while Jughead tried to move away from the physical contact. "That was-" he paused as if searching for the best response, "inspired. Betty you have certainly worked your magic with him."

Betty simply nodded, still trying to return her breathing back to normal and yet it only accelerated again once she met Jughead's intense gaze across the stage.

"Now Betty, I want you to as he comes in to deliver that kiss to come to the realization that this must all just be a trick that the two of them are playing on you." Betty nodded quickly, her eyes on her feet as she took a few deep breaths and prepared herself to continue. "Oh, I am so excited," Kevin said as he moved away again from the two of them and Jughead paused for a moment before he replaced his hand on her cheek and started to move closer towards her again.

"O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent" Betty spat out as she managed to push him away from her. Jughead stumbled backwards at the forcefulness of her movement, his eyebrow quirking at her as she continued,

 _"To set against me for your merriment:_ _If you were civil and knew courtesy,_ _You would not do me thus much injury."_

She moved her hands between Archie and Jughead. Before she turned towards Jughead stalking towards him purposefully.

 _"Can you not hate me, as I know you do,_ _But you must join in souls to mock me too?"_

She diverted her attention away from him now as she rounded on Archie's Lysander.

 _"If you were men, as men you are in show,_ _You would not use a gentle lady so;_ _To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,_ _When I am sure you hate me with your hearts."_

She was beginning to feel the hateful tears starting to well behind her eyes as she scorned them both.

 _"You both are rivals, and love Hermia;_ _And now both rivals, to mock Helena:"_ _A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,_ _To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes_ _With your derision! none of noble sort_ _Would so offend a virgin, and extort_ _A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport."_

Archie clapped a hand on Jughead's shoulder as he finally spoke.

 _"You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;_ _For you love Hermia; this you know I know:_ _And here, with all good will, with all my heart,_ _In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;_ _And yours of Helena to me bequeath,_ _Whom I do love and will do till my death."_

"Never did mockers waste more idle breath," Betty interrupted.

 _"Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:_ _If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone."_

As Jughead spoke his lines next as he moved towards her grasping her hands in his own, bending on his knees in front of her as he spoke.

 _My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourn'd,_ _And now to Helen is it home return'd,_ _There to remain."_

"Helen, it is not so," Archie interrupted the pair, pulling Jugheads hands away from her own roughly and placing his body between the two of shot daggers at him, leaving her unsure of whether they were real or all part of the act. Maybe she had done too good of job after all.

 _"Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,_ _Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear._ _Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear."_

* * *

 _Betty examined herself in the mirror, her hair was askew, her mascara smudged under her eyes. She had been sleeping most of the day and it showed on her face. She looked down at the yellow gawdy dress that had been selected by wardrobe for Blanche DuBois' final descent into madness. It suited. It was the final rehearsal before opening night of A Streetcar Named Desire. Betty still hadn't told Polly about their mother, instead making excuses that Alice was too sick to come to the phone and promising to pass on the message. When Kevin had asked how her mom was doing she would say she was stable, not well but stable. She promised herself that she would tell them after the final performance. She just had to get through this production. Then she'd be okay._

 _"Nice performance today Betty." Betty could already feel her skin begin to prickle at the sound of Cheryl's voice. It wasn't a compliment, Betty knew that. The edge of Cheryl's sarcasm was not at all subtle. As soon as Cheryl was announced to play Stella, Betty had known that this play was going to be a trying one. But she had been able to shrug off Cheryl's criticisms of her performance so far. "You know if you're not up to the role I know the lines. Being the lead must be so difficult when you have so much on your plate." Cheryl placed a hand on Betty's shoulder that to any outsider would have looked to have been a compassionate gesture instead of what it really was. Betty watched in the mirror as Cheryle leant in to whisper in her ear. "Especially with your mom being so sick." Betty's eyes met Cheryl's in the reflection and she could almost feel the rubber band wound so tightly already inside her just snap._

 _"Back the fuck off Cheryl." Betty was on her feet now. Her eyes were locked with the redhead who had backed away slightly from her._

 _"Merely providing some helpful feedback, Betty." Betty smiled at her, but it wasn't the sickly sweet one that usually adorned her face, no, this smile was different. It was almost wicked._

 _"You need to stay out of my way, Cheryl." Her voice was low and threatening._

 _"Geez, Betty, take a pill or something." Cheryl went to turn away dismissing her with a wave of her hand and Betty's hand shot out grasping her wrist and twisting her back towards her. Cheryl's confidence was slipping from her face as Betty tightened her grip, feeling soft skin give way to her fingertips. She knew how hard you had to press to leave a bruise, a reminder. "Betty, let go of me." Cheryl's voice was higher now and it had also lost its confidence. Her request less of a demand and more of a plea. She felt like she was outside of her own body merely a spectator watching on as she slowly was losing her tenuous grip on reality._

 _She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her away and she felt herself releasing her grip on Cheryl who proceeded to rub her wrist. "You fucking psycho." Cheryl spat out at her as the other members of the acting troupe surrounded her as she showed them the redness around her wrist._

 _Betty looked up to see Jughead peering down at her, he looked concerned his hand still wrapped around her arm holding her gently in place as she made her lunge for Cheryl. He pulled her back into his own chest as she struggled to get free, before she finally relented and leaned heavily on him. It was a battle, and she was not going to win and decided instead to stare Cheryl down from her position. All she could see was red. She faintly heard someone speaking to Cheryl to go and lie down, that the stress of the performance must be getting to her._

 _"You okay, Betts?" She heard Jughead talking to her as she watched Cheryl walk out of the small room leaning on Reggie and Chuck for support. While Betty sneered at her, self-entitled little bitch. God she was angry, it was as if her pain and anger had consumed her, like she was drowning in it._

 _"I'm fine." She pulled her arm away from Jughead roughly, making her way towards the exit. She had had enough for one day._

* * *

The rehearsal had continued late into the afternoon. Kevin was living up to his reputation as a perfectionist adding suggestions and moving them around the stage as required. Veronica had delivered her lines once again to perfection which had not surprised Betty at all. Both her and Veronica had had to stop several times during their 'fight' scene rehearsal as they ended up in a fit of giggles arguing with each other while comparing their heights and trading insults with one another.

Eventually Kevin seemed satisfied with their progress and announced that they were finished for the day. He was asking Betty for her advice on one of the other scenes that he was rehearsing the next day with Cheryl and Dilton when Betty noticed out of the corner of her eye Veronica talking to Jughead near the stage. She was half listening to Kevin, nodding her head and grunting approval at the appropriate times as she watched Veronica lean in slightly to Jughead, her hand resting on his arm as she laughed, loudly.

"Betty?" Kevin waved a hand in front of her face as her gaze broke from the scene across the room and her attention settled back on Kevin, who was obviously waiting on a reply from her.

"Sorry, Kev." Her eyes darted quickly back to where Veronica and Jughead were standing to find them both gone. "What was the question?"

"Never mind." He rested a hand on her arm. "Have fun tonight, Princess."


	9. More Strange Than True

_**Authors Note:**_

 _ **Thank you so**_ much everyone _ **for patiently waiting for the update to this story.**_ Sorry _ **it has taken so long but I hope it is worth the weight. Thank you so much for all your reviews. Makes me smile to know that you guys are enjoying the story and eager to learn more. As always couldn't have completed this chapter without the guidance and feedback from my awesome beta Jandy.**_

 _ **Thanks to Jen2000,**_ Alwaystoolate _ **, violet1429, whenitsover, ash543, sara, lovesbooks12 and of course all the guests who left me a review on the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one just as much.** _

**Chapter 9: More Strange Than True**

Veronica's apartment, if it could even be called that, was every bit how Betty imagined it would be. It was the penthouse of the historic Pembrooke Apartments right in the heart of Riverdale. From the doorman in the lobby to the wrought iron on the roof, everything screamed old money.

Once, as a gift for Betty's 21st birthday, her mother had arranged for her to stay on a lower floor of the building for the weekend. She'd spent the night relaxing in the oversized bubble bath, momentarily forgetting her every day stresses. It was that night of freedom that had prompted her to start looking for her own apartment when she permanently returned to town. She hadn't wanted those moments of solitude and rest to be a one-time thing.

Betty may have stayed at the Pembrooke before, but the penthouse suite was something else entirely. The large glass windows of the lounge overlooked glittering lights of the small town below them. She ran her fingertips gently across the glass as she took in the view. Veronica had insisted that she drive Betty over to the apartment from the theatre, letting the boys make their own way across. Betty couldn't imagine that Jughead and Archie would be sharing the car ride over. Kevin had had to step in a few times during the rehearsals to separate the two of them, particularly as they acted out the fight between their two characters over her character, Helena's affections. Their performance had seemed a bit too real.

While they were waiting, Veronica pulled a bottle from the fridge and opened it with a loud pop, the cork hitting the roof. She handed Betty a flute and poured her a not small glass of what Betty could only presume was genuine French champagne. Veronica poured her own glass. "No harm starting before they get here," she explained, before clinking her glass against Betty's and they both took a sip. "Now remember, guys like Archie love to talk about themselves. Just build him up, flatter him, maybe even giggle a little and he will be putty in your hands. Meanwhile I will keep Mr. Dark and Broody occupied."

"Good luck," Betty scoffed.

"Oh, I have my ways," Veronica said with a wink and a twirl of her hair around her fingers. Betty was reminded of her talking to Jughead at the theatre, her hand resting on his arm and wasn't so sure she was comfortable with whatever 'Veronica's ways' included.

Soon enough there was a buzz on the intercom and Veronica walked over to the panel, greeting the two men, the taller one at the back of the other had his hands thrust in his jacket pockets as he scowled at the redhead who was smiling confidently into the camera. Betty downed the rest of her champagne quickly before Veronica opened the door and the night began.

 _She took her final bow on the stage as she continued to clench her fists. The pain grounded her if only briefly. They were all just a mass of faces in front of her. 'I have always depended on the kindness of strangers' the words rung in her ears. What a joke. Kevin went to congratulate her and she walked straight past him, a brief glancing look in his direction. She went to her locker grabbing her belongings from the shelves and shoving them quickly into her bag._

 _"Betty." Kevin was beside her locker now leaning heavily up against it as his eyes flicked over her taking in her hurried expression. "Where's the fire?"_

 _"What?" she snapped in his direction and he took a step back from her and she wondered briefly if he saw it now. The part of her that she was always trying to squash down that had surfaced now, had been masked by her_ performance, _but had not dissipated with the final fall of the theatre curtain._

 _"I just mean you seem in a hurry. The rest of the company was going to the Whyte Wyrm to celebrate." She grabbed the last of her belongings, shoving them into her bag before slamming the locker door shut. Kevin jumped a little at her forcefulness before continuing, "It might be a good opportunity to blow off some steam."_

 _Betty considered the invitation before nodding. Why the hell not?_

Archie had started talking to her almost as soon as he'd walked in Veronica's door. Betty had thought that she would have had to beg and steal his attention from Veronica so she was pleasantly surprised. For tonight at least, he seemed happy enough to speak to her which only made her more nervous that she would say the wrong thing. Not only that, but she was distracted by the goings on across the room. Veronica had pulled Jughead away as soon as the two men had entered. He had reluctantly followed as she spoke in his ear. Veronica continued to talk animatedly at him as Betty stole glances at them.

"Betty?"

"Sorry, Arch. I am listening. Just a bit - distracted."

"Performance jitters." He took another swig of his beer, forgoing the expensive champagne for something a little more familiar. Jughead on the other hand was continuing to take sips of the Coke he had asked for when he had been offered a drink. Betty knew he didn't drink, not since his dad. "I get them too believe it or not."

"Yeah that must be it." Veronica's hand was resting on his elbow as she spoke to him and Betty tried to recall if Veronica always touched people when she spoke to them or whether she was making a special exception for Jughead.

Betty reminded herself that Veronica had said she was going to distract him so that she could speak to Archie and finally work up the nerve to ask him out on a date in a relaxed environment without Jughead getting in the way. But it wasn't like he was turning her affectionate gestures away either. She had imagined that he would. Or at least put distance between him and Veronica. He never let anyone in his personal space. Well… that wasn't exactly true. He used to let her in, didn't he?

"It must be hard acting opposite Jughead," Archie interrupted her thoughts again. She pulled her eyes away from across the room to focus on Archie who had obviously noticed her watching the other pair.

"Why? What do you mean?"

"Well, he isn't exactly an actor is he? And he's always been a bit weird, even in high school."

"It's not been too bad," Betty admitted. Well, it had been but not for the reasons that Archie was alluding to. "Besides he is doing really well now." Was she actually defending Jughead to the man who had been the main object of her affection for years? Yep, looked like she was.

"Well, I think you're doing great given the circumstances." There was that award winning smile. She had waited so long for it to be just for her and yet, she couldn't bask in her own success.

"Thanks Arch." She noticed that he had already finished his beer while she was still sipping her champagne.

"Hey, I'm going to get another beer do you want another drink?" Betty held out the still nearly full glass to him, shaking her head as he moved to the kitchen. She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed Archie was a drinker before. Thinking back she could remember very rarely seeing him sober at the wrap up parties, or any other the company get togethers to be honest. There was a giggle that pierced through the room, and Betty's attention was drawn back again to Veronica who was now tracing a finger along the outline of Jughead's jacket. Betty pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, clamping down to keep herself silent as she tried not to look towards them. She wanted to march over there and stop them. Snap Jughead out of whatever spell Veronica had managed to weave.

She wanted to distract herself with Archie, to drown out the memories of earlier times with Jughead that kept being dragged to the surface every time she looked at him. With this in mind, she moved to the kitchen to speak to Archie once again, knowing that she should be content with his attention but she was finding it difficult to fake it.

The night continued on with the two pairs moving in separate orbits. Despite being occupied with Archie, Betty continued to internally question why Jughead hadn't acknowledged her at all, instead choosing to spend his time with Veronica. Her company for the evening was now crashed out on the couch snoring softly. She had spent the evening trying to get to know Archie - she really had - but the words, the conversation didn't come easily and she found herself wondering if that was the reason she had never really had a chance with him in the past. Maybe it wasn't because she was the second choice or the bottom of the food chain or any of the other excuses she'd built up in her head… but maybe because she was better than him. Maybe they really didn't have anything in common. Maybe she had outgrown a schoolgirl crush that she had been foolishly holding onto for years. Maybe? Then why had she asked him on that date?

"I should be getting home," she said finally when Veronica came over to check on her.

"It's still early," Veronica argued, a questioning look on her face when she noticed Betty gathering her jacket and keys. Jughead had followed her over, a bowl of chips in his hand as he munched on them as he observed.

"I'm tired and well," she moved her head towards the sleeping figure on the couch.

Veronica laughed and hugged Betty tightly. "Did you get what you were looking for?" she whispered into her ear, and Betty wasn't sure how to answer that question. Veronica pulled away from the embrace and Betty could tell she was searching her face for the answer. "Do you want me to call you an Uber?"

"I can take Betty home." Jughead volunteered, his hand already on her back pushing her towards the door. She looked towards Veronica for saving. She couldn't deal with this kind of emotional upheaval right now. After everything tonight, Betty was already questioning her actions over the course of the last few years and being stuck in a car with Jughead would only remind her of things she couldn't have.

Her friend didn't seem to get the message though. "Only if you drop this one off first." Veronica pointed towards the slumped figure of Archie who had drank far too much and conked out on the sofa not long after Betty had finally plucked up the courage to ask him out on a date. Ridiculous as it may seem, Betty truly did want to confirm or deny whether Archie had never really been the man for her. It was hardly fair to judge him when she couldn't even keep her mind occupied on something other than the man in the crown beanie across the room.

Jughead turned towards Betty, "Can you help me get him down into the car?"

Betty wanted to refuse his offer, but she didn't know if she had the word, and she had to admit to herself that she would rather be driven home by Jughead rather than a stranger, so she sighed in agreement and helped Jughead lift the very heavy and very drunk Archie out of the apartment. Veronica gave her a little wink as she closed the door behind them.

"So you finally got your wish?" Jughead said grumpily as they got back into the car after maneuvering a very uncoordinated Archie Andrews back into his childhood home. He had managed to murmur a barely coherent thank you as Fred Andrews took his weight from them. Archie had sobered a little on the ride and was able to stand swaying slightly with the support of his father. He had also mumbled that he would see Betty next Monday after dress rehearsal for their date and Betty had simply smiled at him, while she could practically feel the daggers that Jughead was sending his way.

"I guess I did," she whispered in response as she folded her hands on her lap, playing with the fabric of her skirt, pointedly keeping her gaze out the window. Her apartment was not far from her old childhood home on the same street as Archie's house but they travelled in silence. He stopped at her apartment building and she noticed that she hadn't had to give him directions-he had remembered. "Thanks," she said sharply as she got out of the car, not meaning to slam the car door as hard as she did when she closed it. Her head was all over the place and she wasn't sure that she could blame it all on the champagne. Jughead was soon beside her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm walking you to your door," he didn't even wait for her to argue with him instead taking the lead and waiting by the entry for her to enter the code.

"You don't have to." She punched the code into the keypad and he opened the door allowing her to go through first. She was on the first floor and he followed her to her apartment door. She turned the key in the lock, eager to escape into her safe haven where she could at least attempt to collect and re-order her thoughts without distraction. "Thanks again," she managed as she went to close the door, not wanting to meet his eyes. His hand stopped the door from closing and her face finally turned up to his. What she saw there nearly took her breath away.

"What are you doing Betty?" He stared at her, his gaze is intense. She tried to will herself to look away- to close the door in his face but she couldn't.

"Doesn't concern you Jughead." She turned away from him and walked further into the apartment, knowing that he would follow her – this conversation was long overdue. She heard the door shut and turned to see him behind her. There was something in his eyes, almost like desperation. She knew she'd seen that look before.

"He doesn't love you, he doesn't even notice you," Jughead murmured under his breath.

"He noticed me tonight," she replied simply and it's not the taunt that she intended it to be instead it sounded sad, almost regretful coming out of her mouth. Everything about this situation was irksome. Of course it was now her who couldn't seem to focus on her end goals. Instead Betty's attention was divided between the person she thought she should be with and the person who… well, she couldn't allow herself to finish that thought.

"This isn't you, Betts. Giggling like a schoolgirl at every inane word that comes out of his mouth. You're better than that. You don't have to pretend."

"Really, Jughead?" Her temper flared. She moved towards him, and with her heels on she was almost his height as she held his gaze. Her hands were flexing by her sides and she felt the familiar bite of nails piercing skin and the eerie calm that came along with it yet set her on edge at the same time. "Because you saw the real me." Hot tears were filling her eyes and she blinked them back furiously. "And you didn't want it. You didn't want me."

 _Betty spotted Jughead behind the bar, pouring drinks for the other actors. She thought that maybe he might have taken some of the night off to share with the rest of them but he was always about business. She had made her appearance with the rest of the company for the majority of the night. Faking her laugh, feigning interest, but now she was bored. Now she was craving something else entirely. She straightened her appearance before making her way over to him, delicately perching herself atop one of the bar stools. She caught his eye and he made his way over leaning on the bar in front of her._

 _"I'd ask if I can get you anything but I think you may have reached your limit."_

 _"You watching me again, Juggie?"_

 _"Maybe." A shy smile crossed his lips as he continued to wipe a glass before filling it with water and moving it across the bar towards her. "You'll thank me tomorrow." She took a sip from the glass eyeing him carefully. Noticing the way he had this one loose curl that seemed to fall over his eyes, she noticed he would twist it in his fingers sometimes when he was nervous. Like he was doing right now. She leaned over the bar slightly aware how low her top was and the view she must be creating for him._

 _"I could thank you now." Her tone was low and seductive and he eyed her warily. He shook his head, moving away from the bar as if he didn't hear the words from her mouth or he was trying to pretend he hadn't heard them. She finished her water, like a good girl and watched him as he served the last of the patrons before turning towards her again. The bar crowd had started thinning out, the company was going their separate ways, leaving her and Jughead as she noticed Reggie and Moose drunkenly stumbling out of the bar together._

 _"I'm closing up, Betts; do you need a ride home?" She ignored his question as she hopped down from her stool. He was closing the blinds when she trailed her hand up his back. He turned immediately to face her. "Betts?" his voice was_ soft.. _She loved the way he looked at_ her, _as if she was the only one in the room the only one who mattered. She pulled on the material of his flannel shirt bunching the fabric in her small hands as she brought her lips to his. He moved his lips gently against her own, while her tongue plundered his mouth, seeking more and more. She took his bottom lip in between her teeth pulling roughly as he groaned into her mouth. She needed more; she needed to feel something, to feel desired, wanted. Something anything to take this overwhelming feeling of nothingness away. She was numb and wanted him to make her feel_ again.. _The deep nail shaped crescents in her palms just_ weren't _enough anymore. Her hands pushed eagerly at the flannel shirt as she pulled it away from his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor._

 _His hands cupped her face, holding her steady in his hands. She pushed against him and he fell to the couch, looking up at her, stunned as she started to undo the buttons on her blouse. She approached him slowly before she peeled the blouse away from her body, dropping it next to his shirt and revealing the black lacy bra she had chosen for the evening. She noticed his Adam's apple bob as her body was revealed and she lowered herself down onto his lap. She could see him trying to form words and instead pressed her lips against his again urgent and needy. She pulled the beanie from his head_ setting _it beside them as she allowed her fingers to thread through his hair, pulling roughly so that she had access to his neck. Her lips trailed down his_ jawline _to his neck, a scrape of her teeth had him bucking against her in response. She smiled wickedly at the response and moved her hips against his in experimentation. He let out a groan and she moved her hands down from his hair to his belt buckle. Her fingers tried to undo the buckle and the clink of metal filled the space between them but before she could complete her mission, his hands found hers and he stopped her._

 _"Betts." His voice was scratchy and low and she could feel the heat pooling in her belly. She moved to continue but he held her steady. She looked into his eyes and he looked at her with soft eyes that she could only interpret as full of pity. Ignoring this, Betty moved her lips to his again, eager to continue, wanting to be loved. Wanting to feel something._

 _"Betts." He said again as he pulled his mouth away from hers, his hands tightening around her own. There was a sharper tone to his voice now and she felt like a scolded child. He wanted_ her _didn't he? He looked at her like he wanted her; he had said that he wanted to kiss her that night in her apartment. He had brushed his lips so briefly against her own with the promise of more to come. Then it clicked and she wanted to laugh. But at the same_ time _she wanted to scream and cry and yell. That was when she was sweet Betty Cooper, unmarked by grief and tragedy. Not now that she was tainted. "You've been drinking."_

 _"I know what I want, Juggie." One more try. She moved in to kiss him again and he turned his face away. She tried not to let the hurt show on her face at his rejection but she was certain she'd failed. She could feel something inside of her crack._

 _"Betts, stop." He began to speak but she had already started moving. She grabbed her shirt from the floor. "I -"_

 _"Save it, Jughead." She pulled her blouse back on, doing up the buttons as quickly as she could. Her fingers not co-operating as she instead just clung the material to her body with her fist. She was an idiot. Nobody wanted this messy version of herself. No, they wanted picture perfect girl next door Betty Cooper. "You know my mom told me about the Jones'. Trash, the part of Riverdale that everyone else pretends doesn't exist. So don't you dare think that you can sit there and judge me. You_ are note _better than me." Her free hand was again clenched in a fist by her side; she had to press hard to begin to feel the familiar biting sensation of nails cutting into the flesh of her palms. She could feel the wetness there. He looked in horror at her hands and she pulled them back against her chest._

 _"Let's talk about this, Betts." He stood up from the couch moving to wrap her in his arms. She pushed him away looking at the blood that was now on his white vest. He noticed too, his hand reaching out for her. "Betty, let me bandage those."_

 _"Get the fuck away from me, Jughead. I don't need your help or your pity." She walked out of the bar, shrugging her jacket on to ward off the biting cold which struck her body as soon as she was out in the open. No-one had ever seen her hands. She had become so_ practiced _at hiding them away, concealing her pain from everyone around her. Not only had Jughead Jones rejected her, he had rejected the part of her that no-one else had seen, the part of her that she was sure that no-one could ever love._

He didn't say anything, as if he was letting her words wash over him. The tears were already burning behind her eyes, a tightness in her throat begging to be released. The urge to wrap her tiny hands into fists was overwhelming. He reached out to grasp her hand as if he could read her mind, read what she was thinking about doing.

"That's not how it was at all, Betts."


	10. All Error With His Might

_**A/N: Finally an update guys! So excited to share the rest of the story (now that it is all planned out) and thank you all so much for your patience and sticking with this story through my very sproadic updates.**_

 _ **I have the next chapter beta'd by the always amazing beta Jandy and need to make a few changes but hoping to have that uploaded within the next few days as well.**_

Chapter 10: All Error With His Might

"That wasn't how it happened at all, Betts." Jughead's words were still ringing in her ears. It wasn't as though she hadn't replayed the events of that night over and over again in her head; Betty could almost recite his words word for word she was so familiar with them.

His hand was still wrapped around her own and she was all of a sudden very aware of his body heat on the bare skin of her hand. "I was there, Jughead. I remember how it happened." She broke the silence that was wrapped around them. "You didn't want-"

"I did turn you down, Betts, but it wasn't because I didn't want you." Her eyes flashed to meet his. "You have no idea how much I wanted you that night."

"You said-" she started before he interrupted her again.

"I remember what I said. I wanted it to happen, Betts. I just didn't want it to happen like that. I wanted you to trust me. I wanted to be the one whose shoulder you leant on." Betty pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes scrunched together as she tried to piece together her own memories to see how they fit with what he was saying. She had been so full of rage and despair that night, not to mention the alcohol that had been running through her veins.

"That summer I saw you, Betts. I saw the real you. I had always thought you were like the rest of them - an actress so high on her own importance, chasing a schoolgirl crush from high school each year."

"I guess not much has changed then," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze as she pulled herself away from his hold. Giving herself some distance and sitting on the arm of her couch. She felt as though the world was spinning around her. Everything that she had built up in her own mind about that summer, was falling down. She could feel her world slipping out of control again.

"You aren't that girl, Betts. The girl-" He reached for her hand again and she let him take it, she was too dazed to fight back. She felt as if the fight was draining out of her. She had been fighting so hard against allowing herself to sink back into her feelings for him that she was exhausted. "-No," he corrected, "the woman-" There was such a fondness in his tone that it took her by surprise. "-that I saw held herself together when everything else was falling apart. You helped the backstage crew. Not because you were being forced to but because you wanted to. You got to know us. That was special."

She shook her head, needing to somehow process the thoughts and feelings that were now overwhelming her. The need to escape was suffocating. The need to lash out to protect herself was so close to the surface. She had been pushing him away for so long that now that that avenue of escape was no longer available to her she felt lost.

"That day in the coffee shop felt like a dream or a fantasy or something. Betty Cooper asking _me_ out for coffee, and smiling at me, even just looking at me. I couldn't believe my luck."

Betty felt that tug again. That nagging little voice that he was talking about the fantasy, not the real Betty Cooper. It was the one that she aspired to be, not whatever it was she was now. She could only imagine how much of a disappointment she was to him.

"That was the version of me before it all went wrong," she whispered, refusing to look at him.

"No." There was defiance in his voice and she couldn't help but lift her eyes to his. "There is no version of you, Betty. It's _all_ you. And I -" he paused and she realized that she was hanging on every single word. "I wanted to get to know all of you. I wanted to be there for you when you lost your mom. I wanted to be the one that you talked to, the one that would try to make it better."

"I was hurting, Jug."

"I know you were, Betts. That's why I couldn't let anything go any further that night. It wouldn't have been fair. To either of us. I wanted it to be real."

"I thought you saw this messed up -let's face it- crazy person and didn't want that part of me. That you were scared. That I scared you away."

"I was scared _for_ you Betts. When I found out you hadn't even told Kevin about your mom, I knew something was wrong." She saw the guilt in his eyes as it all was starting to make sense.

"Wait." She began to put it all together.

 _When she got back to her apartment, she found Polly waiting for her with Kevin by her side. Polly moved to look at her hands grasping her wrist and examining the deep cuts that she hadn't even bothered to bandage instead letting them bleed and weep. Polly started crying for a second Betty thought how her sister never could have dealt with looking after their mother if this made her cry. Kevin moved toward her and she instinctively backed away. She felt like a cornered animal, and felt the need to lash out. She didn't want them to touch her. She didn't want any of them. Once Kevin wrapped his arms around her, Betty knew they were expecting her to feel something - Polly with her head in her hands on the couch sobbing and Kevin holding her tightly – but instead she just pressed her nails into the skin of her palms once more, letting the pain wash over her body like a calming gentle wave._

" _Why didn't you tell us Betty? We could have helped." Polly's sorrowful voice cut through her. Help? What could Polly have done that she couldn't have? Polly didn't have the resolve to face what Betty had had to and come out the other side. She turned to face her sister, knowing that her lips was turned up in snarl, a hint of teeth._

" _Really Polly?" she spat out her sister's name and couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that washed over her as her sister flinched at her name. "You could have helped?" Betty let out a mocking laugh, shaking her head in derision as her hand flew up to her mouth. Her sister had been everything that Betty had ever aspired to be. Betty's whole life spent in vain trying to make Alice Cooper look at her the way she had at her older sister even after all of Polly's many mistakes. She was never going to be good enough. "You? The one who left when it got hard with your picture perfect husband and your perfect children? You couldn't have survived it. You couldn't have dealt with seeing her that way- seeing her shrink before your eyes, becoming a shell of the person she used to be. You couldn't do it so I had to."_

 _Polly approached her again, tears staining her face and Betty could hear her mumbled sorrys and should haves. They didn't mean anything, they didn't change what had happened. The words were not for her benefit they were for her sister's to ease her own guilt. To absolve her._

" _Betty, we have spoken to the hospital." Kevin's voice was always so gentle and soothing. Even now when she hated the world and everything in it, it still brought her that little bit of peace. "They are going to admit you."_

 _Betty started to shake her head, murmuring to herself. No, she couldn't go. She still had to organize the funeral and the memorial and decide what to do with her mom's body._

" _I can't go Kevin, I have arrangements. I can't leave it." Her voice was pleading as if it was actually Kevin's decision to make. If she could just convince him that everything was okay, then maybe it was. She could hold it together still._

" _We will take care of it, Princess." She let him embrace her again as his hand moved softly over her loose ponytail. "It's going to be okay," he whispered into her hair. And she wanted so much to believe him._

"You told Kevin." She was staring at him as it all slotted together in her mind. The week after her mom's death was a blur in her memory. She could only recall snippets and pieces, confident that her mind had remembered all that it needed to and spared her the rest.

"I had to, Betts. You left me no choice. If you weren't going to let me help you." Jughead's eyes searched her own as he spoke.

"I just assumed the hospital had called Polly. I never thought that you-" She pulled away from him and began to pace around the small space of her apartment.

"I couldn't watch on as you did that to yourself." He glanced at her palms and she moved them behind her back in defense. "I thought maybe after you got some help that maybe-"

She cut him off. "You never came looking for me. You never even spoke to me when I came back." Her voice was accusing. She could already feel herself becoming more defensive as the need to protect herself rose within.

"I figured after that night -after the things you said- that maybe you didn't want to see me and that if you _did_ you would come and find me," he answered, softly. "When you didn't, I couldn't face seeing you again at the play that year."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that?" Her thoughts were still moving faster than she could decipher, when his hands reached for hers and she stilled her nervous movement when he pulled her toward him once more.

"Well, I like to think, Betts, that despite everything we were friends and that maybe we could be friends again." She could see the hopefulness in his eyes, the way he traced her inside wrist with his thumb. It was a gentle soothing movement that she wanted to lose herself in. She knew then that he was offering her an 'out'. Jughead was offering her the space to sort out her emotions and she wondered if he needed that space too in light of their revelations.

She remembered how they had been before her mother had died and she had begun her downward spiral and placed that distance between them. She wondered at the prospect of allowing him in only to break her heart again.

"For the sake of the play," he continued, with a nudge to her side, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a smile. Betty rolled her eyes and found herself sharing the same smile.

He didn't mention the date again and neither did she. For now they were happy to just be as they were.

On Monday, the late afternoon found them again at the old theatre under the careful watch of their director. Moose was sat next to him as Kevin had brought him along to help him with direction where he could. Betty suspected that there was an entirely different reason as to why Moose was at the rehearsal but she was happy for them and didn't say anything.

It was all starting to come together, much, she imagined, to Kevin's relief. The community college group had integrated seamlessly into their backstage roles under the watchful eye of Dilton and Jughead. Ethel has also stepped up into the role that Jughead would usually take and seemed to be flourishing under her new responsibility.

Some things hadn't changed though, as Cheryl continued to swan about as if she owned the company- although with the amount of money that the Blossom family's maple syrup business pumped into this town she probably _did_. Chuck continued to give Betty looks that made her skin crawl and once again she thanked the powers that be that they didn't share any scenes together.

Betty had found Jughead waiting near her dressing table with a caramel vanilla frappuccino in his hand. He held it out to her as she put her bag down.

"Your favourite," he said with a smile as he handed her the cup. Their fingers brushed up against each other's only briefly but it was enough to make a blush began to crawl up the back of Betty's neck and she diverted her gaze in an effort to distract herself.

They had parted on good terms that night in her apartment. He had pulled her into a quick hug as he had left and Betty had let him hold her for a second longer than necessary as she relished in how natural it felt to have his arms wrapped around her once again. It was a feeling that was too strong to bury so she let herself enjoy the moment however brief it was. She was still unsure of what they were but it was better than before the play had started and maybe it could be better still.

Once Jughead had left, she had called Polly. She had apologized for calling so late before the tears overtook her and they talked. _Really_ talked. For the first time since Polly had left Riverdale, even on the long drive to the hospital or back home from the treatment centre they had never 'talked'. Betty had apologized for how she had acted and Polly had done the same. It was cathartic and the first steps toward some real healing between the sisters. She had Jughead to thank for that.

During their rehearsal, Betty and Jughead had continued to play well off one another. His deliberate touches as he attempted to woo her, or rather as Demetrius- under the influence of the love potion- wooed Helena, continued to make her skin tingle and her skin blush. His words of scorn no longer held the same power as they once did. They began to take on the humour of the play. No longer a deliberate attack against her but a comedy of errors. It was how she remembered the play she'd loved so much to be. Kevin seemed to enjoy the change in their approach as well. Praising them both on their performances before he directed his attention towards Archie and Veronica. Jughead shot Betty a wink and squeezed her hand and her smile became broader as she felt as though she was under some kind of spell herself.

Jughead sat next to her as they watched the rest of the scene play out in front of them, grateful for some time away from the stage. She was glad that he had pulled himself away from his usual spot at the back of the audience seats. His own self-imposed solitude. She heard him chuckle softly as Reggie and Chuck played out their lines and she was glad that he enjoyed watching as much as she did. Betty enjoyed all parts of the play and had to admit that Kevin had truly outdone himself this time. The play was perfectly cast, perfectly directed and she could feel herself already becoming more and more excited for their opening night.

She glanced towards where Archie was sitting with Veronica and found that his eyes were trained on her as she jolted in her seat. She was still deliberating in her own mind what to do about the 'Archie situation'. It had been what she had wanted for so long- a date with the 'popular' guy. The perfect match. But the revelation of her past with Jughead and what his true feelings could be, that there was the possibility of a future between them- It had her doubting everything she'd thought she wanted. Not wanting to think about it again, Betty pushed it to the back of her mind and smiled at Archie before she shifted her attention back to the performance on stage.

"Are you going to go tonight?" Betty stilled at the sound of Jughead's voice. She knew that he was going to ask. She continued to stare at herself in the mirror of the locker she had been assigned at the start of the rehearsals. Looking at her reflection as if it would hold the answers for her. She shut the locker to find him looking at her from the other side. "I don't know. I mean things are different now, aren't they?"

"I think you should go," he said as she looked at him with an arched brow. "If only to close the chapter on this part of your life."

"I don't want you to think-"

"What, that I might be a 'second choice'?" he scoffed and gave her a wink. "Please. Archie doesn't stand a chance."


	11. Melted As The Snow

A/N: _ **Thank you so much for the support and reviews guys, blown away by all your kind comments and so glad that you guys are still with me after such a delay.**_ Hopefully _ **another update will make up for it.**_

 _ **And thanks Jandy for beta'ing this one as well.**_

Thanks _ **Sara 99, Pentastic, lovesbooks12, Whenitsover, Isilme'sStar, violet1429,**_ Alwaystoolate _ **, Jen2000 and all guests as well. I know some of you are hesitant about the date with Archie but here we go...**_

Betty felt nervous and not for the reasons that she thought that she would be, given the situation. She had pictured this moment in her mind so many times since high school. Dressed in her favourite dress, looking over at her date in his best suit. Smiling coyly over her drink as his hand reached out for hers. His fingertips tracing over the back of her hand. However now whenever she thought of it, it wasn't a flash of red hair that she pictured in front of her now but instead dark locks and a woolen beanie was all that she could see.

She took a deep breath as she smoothed down her skirt again for the millionth time. A nervous habit that she couldn't seem to shake. He was sat opposite her. The 'ginger stallion' as she had heard the girls in the dressing room whisper to each other each summer while she tried to ignore them or chastising them for speaking about him in that way. Now she found herself wondering how much of his reputation was true that whether she had just been blind this whole time. She wondered whether he saw her as one of his conquests- maybe just another potential notch on his bed post.

She realized then, that he was asking her a question, She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she couldn't recall what they had been discussing and she racked her brain for some hint on what he might be asking her.

"I said have you ever been to New York?"

"Yeah, I studied there for a year after graduation," she answered, grateful for him repeating the question.

"I've had a few gigs there. Have a few more lined up once the summer is over." She nodded and offered him a smile which she hoped displayed her encouragement and nothing more. "Yeah. My agent says that things are about to take off you know. Can't stay in Riverdale forever." His eyes grew a little wider at that statement as he realized his mistake. "Not saying that you staying here is a bad thing but there isn't really a music scene here."

"It's fine really."

"I actually have been working on some new stuff, a couple of acoustic tracks. If your free maybe you would like to come over and listen." Betty nodded politely and found herself glancing at the time on her phone. She was beginning to notice how much Archie enjoyed to talk about himself and his blossoming music career. He had asked her a few questions but only those that seemed to allow him to talk further about himself. She began to imagine what a future with Archie Andrews might look like. The partner of a successful New York musician. The travel, the groupies. The long talks into the night not about literature or her own interests but about his. About his success.

She wondered if this was how her mother had felt. Her father had been a successful journalist when he had met Alice Smith. She had just been starting out at _The Register_ , but had shown some promise. Betty had discovered some of her articles when she had been packing up her things in the house before it was put up for sale following her return from the Treatment Facility. Her mom had talent, it was clear in her writing but she'd had very little published. Not compared to her father who had been featured so many times in _The Register_ that his name had become well known within their small town. He had progressed to editor while Alice had remained among the office staff. She had remained by her husband's side, supporting his work, raising his children, until he had left- for a better job, a better life. Leaving Alice in Riverdale alone with their old life.

Betty wasn't sure that that life was what her mom would have wanted for her daughters. Not really. Maybe on the surface, a perfect life - a perfect visage. But in reality she liked to think that her mom would have wanted her to be happy.

She played with her food, shifting it around the plate with her fork while she continued to listen to Archie describe his plans for after summer. Before the topic of conversation shifted suddenly.

"So, what's going on with you and the weirdo?" Her eyes snapped up at him at the pointedness of the question. Her fork dropping to her plate, she paused to answer as he continued to watch her closely. "He's trouble you know. That whole family is."

"Why do you care?"

"I just don't want a nice girl like you getting mixed up in their drama." She noticed now that he wasn't meeting her gaze taking a sudden interest in the plate of half eaten food in front of him.

"I like Jughead," Betty answered confidently, challenging Archie to meet her eyes.

"His dad is the reason our company went out of business. He was taking money from under my dad's nose. Bankrupted him before he found out that it was his best friend and business partner who had sent the company bust." She could see the barely contained anger behind Archie's eyes, the tightening of his jaw.

"That's not Jughead's fault," Betty answered her tone stronger and more forceful then she had intended.

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, isn't that the saying?" he sneered as he stabbed his fork into his steak and Betty could feel an anger rising up in her. She wondered if that was the reason Archie and Jughead had been the way they were at the company. The thought crossed her mind about whether Archie himself could have been behind the jock's constant bullying of Jughead back at school. Despite the constant bullying and the town's outright prejudice against his family because of the sins of his father, Jughead had been the one who had held her when she found out about her mother. He had been the one holding her hand, the one who had offered to stay with her, who had stopped her from attacking Cheryl. He had been there the whole damn time even when she had tried so damn hard to keep him at a distance. He had come back for her. He had wanted her and not some illusion that she presented to the rest of the world.

To someone like Archie she would only ever be an accessory on his arm. A support for his own grandeur. To Jughead she would be something else, she would be herself.

She found herself standing up from her seat. Archie shifted his attention back to her.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she picked up her handbag, shoving her phone into it before shrugging her jacket on.

"I can't do this," she replied to Archie as much as to herself.

"You're walking out on our date?" He had stood up as well reaching out for her arm which she moved away from his grasp.

Betty paused at his words. "Yeah, I guess I am." Relief welling up in her as she put more distance between them. The realization that she was walking out on something she had built up all these years - the guy she had built up to be something he wasn't. She felt relief for herself and for someone that she knew she would never let go.

"Do you know how many girls would love to be in this position Betty?"

"Let them have it." She threw over her shoulder as she exited the restaurant her heels clicking on the pavement as she made her way to her next destination.

The Whyte Wyrm was not as busy as she had expected it would have been as she glanced at her phone for the time and realized it was later than she thought. It had taken her a while to find an Uber once she realized half way up the street that Archie had driven them to the restaurant and she was not about to head back in there and get him to give her a lift.

Taking a deep breath, Betty went to the bar and her eyes eagerly searched for Jughead's telltale grey beanie. Instead, she was greeted by the intense green eyes and bright blue hair of Jellybean Jones.

"Betty!" JB exclaimed warmly as she leant over the bar to pull Betty into an awkward hug with the counter between them and Betty trying to lean over to close the distance. JB pushed her black rimmed glasses back up her nose as she set a wine glass on the bar in front of Betty.

"House White?" she asked and Betty nodded, setting herself on the bar stool. JB poured her a glass before placing the bottle back into the fridge under the bar. Betty reached into her purse for some cash before JB shook her head. "On the house. You look like you need it."

Betty placed her purse back inside her bag on the stool next to her and took a long sip. JB was leaning over on the bar watching her intently.

"I thought-"

"That Jughead might be here?" JB replied with a knowing smile and Betty began to wonder how much of a secret she and Jughead might actually be.

"Yeah," Betty replied taking another sip as a flush spread over her cheeks at the look JB was sending her.

"He usually is, but he had to travel over to Greenvale for a parole hearing. For our dad."

"Parole? Does that mean-?"

"Yeah looks like Dad's coming home. I mean up until a few days ago we thought that it would still be another few months but Jughead said he had caught a lucky break and it may only be a few weeks now."

"That's great JB." Betty was happy for the Jones family, they deserved a break. If not for FP's sake then for his children.

"Yeah it means Dad can come back to running the bar and Jughead can go back to finish his degree in New York."

Her words hit Betty full force. Back to New York. She realized that her thoughts must have been written all over her face when she returned her gaze to JB.

"Oh Shit, Betty! He hasn't told you. Fuck! He's going to kill me."

"It's okay JB. I mean-" It wasn't like they were together or anything. He didn't _owe_ her anything. She didn't want to complicate things any further. She sure as hell didn't want him to even contemplate changing his plans for her. She didn't want him to get stuck in Riverdale like she had.

"He likes you Betty. _Really_ likes you." JB pleaded, her hand reaching out to try and comfort her.

"Don't tell him I know okay?" Betty said quickly. She had come there to tell him how she felt. That as much as he wanted to be the one that she leant on she wanted that as well. But not at the cost of his future.

"But-"

"Please." Betty urged, holding JB's gaze.

"Okay."

Betty hadn't been able to sleep much that night. She had gone to the Whyte Wyrm to tell Jughead how she was feeling. She wanted there to be more. She wanted _them_ to be more. She longed for the feelings she'd had before she had been overcome with grief. She wanted the boy who saw her for her and wasn't scared. She wanted Jughead Jones. But she wanted him to be happy _more_.

She had tried all her usual remedies. Chamomile Tea, a warm bath, meditation- but her mind wouldn't let her rest. She managed to finally get a few hours out of pure exhaustion before her alarm woke her up. They had dress rehearsals today. Before Betty had been looking forward to it, eager to wear a pretty dress and perform with the weight of her past with Jughead finally lifted, but now…

She picked up her phone from her bedside table before texting Kevin.

'Hey K, Can we meet up need to talk? B'

She sent the text before she hopped into the shower. She stepped out of the shower and checked her phone again to see that there was still no reply. She typed out another text and sent it. She brushed her teeth while never letting her phone out of her sight and when there was still no reply she called him. The call went straight to message bank and Betty humphed in frustration. If he was ignoring her texts and calls to have a morning romp with Moose – well, she guessed she was still happy for them but it was just _really_ inconvenient.

She scrolled through her contacts to find Veronica's number. Veronica had been happy to help her with Archie maybe she would have some advice on the new predicament she found herself in.

'Hey Ronnie, Could we meet up before rehearsals need some advice, girl to girl, B' Her phone buzzed almost immediately after she sent the text.

'OMG yes, B. I am just organizing room service. I'll send someone to pick you up, V xoxo' Of course Veronica would have someone to pick her up. Betty was just grateful to have someone that she could talk to.

"Okay B. What's on your mind?" Betty had barely sat herself down at the table on the balcony of the penthouse apartment overlooking Riverdale when Veronica had started questioning her. "And please tell me you have finally come to your senses about Mr. Dark and Broody." Betty was really starting to think that she really had not been very good at hiding her true feelings at all. She had only known Veronica all of a few weeks and she had already cottoned onto her. "Although seeing the two of you together yesterday I think I already have my answer." Veronica clasped her hands together as she looked wistfully at Betty who tore off a piece of her croissant and began to chew giving her time to pause as she tried to collect her own thoughts.

"I like Jughead." The sound that left Veronica's mouth was almost inhuman.

"I knew it, I knew it!" she almost sang as she shifted excitedly in her chair. "So he likes you too? Of course he does!"

Betty told Veronica about the conversation about their past. That they had mistaken each other's feeling for the other.

"Oh B, I'm sorry. But you talked it over and it was a misunderstanding and-"

"He's leaving-" Betty choked out. "-for New York after the summer. His dad is getting out on parole and taking over the bar again. It means he can finish his degree. He had to stop to run the bar. They thought that it might be a bit longer but things have progressed and-"

"That was me B. I spoke to Jughead at the party. You don't work in criminal law without picking up a few favours and I know someone in Greenvale who offered to put a case together get things expedited."

"So, that's why you managed to hold his attention?"

"At the party, yeah. Seriously, I could barely hold his complete attention even with that. Every time I touched him he seemed uncomfortable. Then I told him what I did for work and he mentioned his dad's parole hearing and I said I could help."

"I can't tell him how I feel."

"Why not?"

"Because he has a chance to get out Ronnie! He has a chance to do what he was meant to do and I can't have him throwing it away."

"Shouldn't you let him make that choice?"

"I just… I don't want to complicate things. We just got back to being friends and I don't want to put that pressure on him." Betty said trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Veronica.

"But you're not _just_ friends. A blind person could see that." Veronica paused and Betty knew that she was trying to think of a way to convince her otherwise. "This is a terrible idea, but if there is one thing I have learnt since meeting you Betty Cooper is that you are not one to be easily disuaded from a bad idea." Betty hated to admit that Veronica was right. On both counts.


	12. The Virtue Of My Heart

**Author's Note: Thank you all so, so much for your reviews they are all so amazing and I am so happy that you are all still enjoying this story (despite the angst). Thank you to the following people who left a review stella loves sunshine, morganreadsalot, Sara, whenitsover, pentastic, milesandmilestogo, jen2000, violet1429, bughead, ash543, brookemellark, whereverwhenever and also the guests who left me a review.**

 **Thanks always to Jandy who is the best** beta **anyone could ever ask for.**

Chapter 12: The Virtue Of My Heart.

Betty had been delaying the inevitable.

Sooner or later she would need to face Jughead and her feelings and try to deal with in addition to the fact that he was leaving Riverdale at the end of the summer. And then there was Archie. He hadn't texted her since. She had graciously accepted Veronica's offer of a ride to the theatre for their dress rehearsal that afternoon. She had thought of a myriad of possible reasons to miss the rehearsal, but she knew she would just e she had left him at the restaurant. She didn't foresee that she had done him any damage and half suspected that his fleeting interest in her was at least partly due to his dislike of Jughead and the possibility of taking something away from him.

Veronica had enquired about her date with the star of the show and whether it had lived up to all her expectations, but even Betty had to admit that it hadn't and that she wasn't sure anyone could have lived up to the pedestal that she had built for him in her mind. Veronica had feigned disinterest as she asked whether he had happened to mention her and Betty had told her that he hadn't but she was sure his attention would shift once again to the confident new girl now that his brief pit stop with her was over.

Betty smoothed down the pale lavender silk of her costume, admiring the way it clung around her gentle curves. She knew that she wasn't particularly curvy or voluptuous but this dress made the most of what she had. The gown hung off her left shoulder leaving it bare while the material gathered and flowed from her right. Her finger ran across the plane of her neck, down her collarbone as she admired the way she looked under the dimmed lights backstage. To be honest she felt special, like someone worth admiring.

"You look beautiful, Betts." Betty was broken out of her contemplation by Jughead's voice behind her. Smiling, she turned to see that he had also changed into his costume. Form fitting pants with a white flowing shirt. The top buttons had been kept undone while the bottom was tucked haphazardly into the top of his pants.

He moved closer and she watched him carefully, a lump stuck in her throat as he stood in front of her. She struggled to keep her eyes trained on his, the temptation to let them drift over his body making the task difficult.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she managed in a voice much breathier than she'd intended. He gave a shy smile and ran his fingers through his hair, which she now noticed was devoid of his usual beanie. His locks were wild and unruly, staying in place for a moment when pushed back before tumbling down in front of his face again; One constant curl falling over his left eye, before being moved again.

"Thanks." He took another step closer and Betty felt her heartbeat speed up. Only realizing now that they were the only ones backstage and that he was close enough that she could easily breathe in his familiar scent of coffee and cigarettes. Her mind was flooded with memories of their coffee dates, his hand brushing against her own as he encouraged her to try his black coffee before she screwed up her face at the bitter taste, while he laughed and she couldn't help but be caught up in his laughter. Happy memories that were no longer marred by the mess that had followed. Memories that she could now allow herself to enjoy and embrace and remember with the joy that she'd felt at the time. She wondered if he thought about their time together. She wondered what he would say if he knew how she felt about him. If she asked him to stay if he would.

"Demetrius is a fool you know," he whispered as she cocked her head to the side. "That he couldn't see Helena's beauty, that he would need some love spell to fall in love with her." His hand was reaching up, she suspected to graze her cheek and she held her breath in anticipation.

"Betty!" Kevin's voice thundered from the stage and shook them from their reverie. The company had once bought him a megaphone to try and save his voice. It had lasted 2 days before it was found smashed into pieces after falling from a great height. Stagehand Jughead Jones had ardently denied responsibility for the incident despite Kevin's accusations.

By the time Kevin had burst through the doorway, Jughead had ceased his movements and his hands were now firmly by his sides. Kevin looked between the two of them briefly before wrapping his arm around Betty's. "I need you." He pulled her along with him out of the room. "Looking good Jughead." He managed to toss over his shoulder as he left.

Betty was tugged along to the stage before he finally slowed down.

"Kevin, what the-?" She managed to wrestle her arm away from his grip as they stopped near his office.

"What was the emergency this morning?" he asked in a hushed whisper as Betty grimaced as she remembered the texts she had sent him that morning.

"It doesn't matter; it's sorted now. It was just me panicking over something not important. You know how I do." Kevin eyed her suspiciously as she spoke and she flashed him a confident smile. He seemed to reluctantly accept her explanation.

"I don't completely believe you, Princess. But I trust that if it was important you would tell me." His eyebrow quirked as he gave her a final opportunity to reveal all. Betty's smile didn't falter as she gave a short laugh.

"It's nothing Kevin, really," she assured him. "But these costumes- Kevin they are stunning." Betty had been friends with Kevin for long enough to know that if there was one way to distract him, it was to get him talking about his passion.

"Aren't they," Kevin said proudly as he looked around at the other actors and their various costumes. "I had to call in a few favours and Veronica may have put me in contact with some people. Have I mentioned how much I love that she joined us?"

"Maybe once or twice." In all honesty Kevin had been gushing about Veronica since her arrival.

"Well I am." He was readjusting the shoulder of her dress, which had slipped down during their speedy exit from the backstage, when he stopped suddenly. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I almost forgot to ask. How did the date with Archie go?"

Betty groaned inwardly at the reminder of a night and really years that she had regretted.

"It was fine," Betty said as she swatted his hand away from her shoulder, readjusting the dress herself and spending longer on it than she needed to in an attempt to avoid Kevin's gaze.

"C'mon Betty. It was fine?" She could hear the disbelief in his voice. "You have been trying to get a date with that boy since we started these productions and it was just fine?"

She sighed. "It wasn't what I thought it would be. We just. I guess we just don't have that much in common."

"Well, I for one am relieved that you have finally come to your senses that that boy is not right for you. And can I just have one 'I told you so'?" Betty rolled her eyes and he gave her a pointed look. She finally nodded in agreement. "I told you so." He took a deep sigh. "Now we can get these rehearsals started." He looked at his watch before pinching the bridge of his nose.

Betty knew that they were running behind schedule and there was still one member of the company who was yet to be seen. She was probably still in her very own private dressing room. Kevin gave a dramatic sigh. "Now I just need to summon our Queen of the Fairies and we can get started." He straightened himself and clung the clipboard containing the running sheet to his chest as he took a deep breath. "Wish me luck."

* * *

Archie was no longer flashing Betty that award winning smile that he had been sending her in the days leading up to their date. In fact, he seemed to hardly take any notice of her at all as if the world had returned to normal and she was back to being boring Betty Cooper. For one of the first times in her life she was actually grateful for that. Even looking at him made her feel uncomfortable.

Jughead on the other hand was watching her intently. Every time their eyes met he would give her a small smile and she would find herself returning it before she could reprimand herself that she was not flirting with him. They were friends and she was going to keep it that way. He was leaving.

The day had been grueling, as dress rehearsals _usually_ were, but the end was in sight and Kevin seemed to be happy with how things were overall which allowed Betty to breathe a sigh of relief.

Being in close proximity to Jughead throughout the play was not helping her 'situation' - they shared almost all of their scenes and even when they weren't on stage together he insisted on sitting next to her in the theatre seats. He'd whisper a running commentary to what was going on onstage and his leg would occasionally brush up against her own as he attempted to get comfortable with his long limbs in the confined space. Betty's breathing would hitch and she'd force herself to remember that they'd decided that they were _friends_ and friends didn't think about their friends in that way. Friends didn't let their bodies react at the slightest touch. Friends didn't have to force themselves not to look too long at their other friends' mouths. It got to the point where she would excuse herself to get some water, give herself a pep talk in the bathroom, and then come back out to retake her seat, pretending nothing was amiss and offering him a friendly smile.

They were finally rehearsing one of their final scenes before the 'play within the play' which she knew was one of Jughead's favourites, considering his love to snark from the sidelines. They were rehearsing the four lovers being caught by Egeus and Theseus in the woods after their night of mischief and magic. Lysander, free from the love potion, has returned to his devotion of Hermia. While Demetrius, still under the fairy's magic and in love with Helena, has his heart's wishes changed.

Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead took their positions on the stage laying down while the scene between Titania, Bottom, and later Oberon and Puck played out in front of them. Betty had to admit that Cheryl looked flawless, truly capturing the beauty yet danger and power of the Queen Titania while Dilton encapsulated the sweet but out-of-his-depth Bottom. Reggie pranced about the stage as a perfect Puck and Betty could see why Kevin had been so adamant in his refusal to change his casting. She glanced over to Jughead next to her and she noticed that he too was intently watching the scene in front of them play out while they waited for their characters to wake from their night in the woods. His arm was thrown over her waist and she couldn't help but notice the weight of it. He was holding her close, every time she took a breath, it would rise and fall in time in response to her own body's movements.

Jug glanced down at her and met her eyes as Pop Tate, Trevor Brown, and Toni Topaz entered onto the stage.

 _"Good morrow, friends. Saint Valentine is past:_

Begin these wood-birds but to couple now?" Pop's strong voice boomed over the stage as the lovers began to stir from their lying positions.

 _"Pardon, my lord,"_ Archie said as he propped himself up on his elbow looking up at the strong figure of the two men above him.

 _"I pray you all, stand up._ _I know you two are rival enemies:_ _How comes this gentle concord in the world,_ _That hatred is so far from jealousy,_ _To sleep by hate, and fear no enmity?"_

Pop continued to speak as they rose to their feet. Jughead wrapped his arm around Betty's shoulder and pulled her towards him, encouraging her to rest her weight upon him. Archie took the opportunity to pull Veronica to himself and though she seemed a little surprised by his actions, she too leaned into him.

 _"My lord, I shall reply amazedly,_ _Half sleep, half waking: but as yet, I swear,_ _I cannot truly say how I came here;_ _But, as I think,-for truly would I speak,_ _And now do I bethink me, so it is,-_ _I came with Hermia hither: our intent_ _Was to be gone from Athens, where we might,_ _Without the peril of the Athenian law."_

 _"Enough, enough, my lord; you have enough:_ " Trevor interrupted, playing the part of Hermia's father whose wishes were being ignored as his daughter had been betrothed to Demetrius and not Lysander.

 _"I beg the law, the law, upon his head._ _They would have stolen away; they would, Demetrius,_ _Thereby to have defeated you and me,_ _You of your wife and me of my consent,_ _Of my consent that she should be your wife."_

Jughead took a step towards Trevor while his hand was still entwined with Betty's.

 _"My lord, fair Helen told me of their stealth,_ _Of this their purpose hither to this wood;_ _And I in fury hither follow'd them,_ _Fair Helena in fancy following me."_

He looked down at her as he said her character's name. Smiling down at her and the rest of the room seemed to melt away as he continued to perform his lines. As if they were not in a performance at all. Betty was not that good of a teacher.

 _"But, my good lord, I wot not by what power,-_ _But by some power it is,-my love to Hermia,_ _Melted as the snow, seems to me now_ _As the remembrance of an idle gaud_ _Which in my childhood I did dote upon;_ _And all the faith, the virtue of my heart,_ _The object and the pleasure of mine eye,"_

He brought his hand up to caress her cheek with the back of his knuckles and though her breath was caught in her throat, Betty could only focus on the sound of his voice and how she wasn't sure how she had never noticed that there was the smallest hint of green within his blue eyes.

 _"Is only Helena. To her, my lord,_ _Was I betroth'd ere I saw Hermia:_ _But, like in sickness, did I loathe this food;_ _But, as in health, come to my natural taste,"_

His tongue came out to lick his lips and she realized that she was holding her bottom lip in between her teeth and released it as the thought crossed her mind.

 _"Now I do wish it, love it, long for it,_ _And will for evermore be true to it."_

The stage directions then called for Demetrius to place a chaste kiss on her cheek. They had rehearsed it a million times at this point, and Betty turned her face to offer her cheek. What she didn't expect was for Jughead's hand to cup her face as he turned her back to face him. She quirked an eyebrow in question as his eyes drifted to her lips only for a moment before closing the distance between them brushing his lips up against her own. Her body had already responded to him by the time her mind caught on. Her lips moving against his own as he claimed her mouth. She lost herself. Time, place, the very stunned audience of their peers. All of it was lost. Her mind was filled instead with the overwhelming sensation of being kissed by him. And enjoying it. She clung to the material of his plain white shirt as his hand moved to the back of her neck allowing him to kiss her deeper and she groaned into his mouth…

And then it was over and he was pulling away while Betty felt stunned as her fingers moved over her lips, already missing the feeling of his lips against her own. Jughead's attention had now shifted back to Pop as he managed to complete his lines.

"Well that wasn't in the script." She heard Veronica mumble under her breath and Betty's eyes flashed towards her as her friend flashed a knowing smile.

 _"Away with us to Athens; three and three,_ _We'll hold a feast in great solemnity._ _Come, Hippolyta."_

Betty's attention shifted back to Pop as he finished his lines and exited the stage with Trevor and Toni. Watching Jughead who seemed to pay no attention to the fact that he had just kissed her on stage in front of the rest of the company as if it was completely normal.

 _"These things seem small and undistinguishable,"_ Jughead said as he enclosed his hand around her own again and she seemed hyper aware of his touch.

 _"Methinks I see these things with parted eye,_

 _When every thing seems double."_ Veronica performed her lines as continued to smile at Betty.

 _"So methinks:_ _And I have found Demetrius like a jewel,_ _Mine own, and not mine own."_

Betty managed to get her lines out despite her complete distraction, her mind racing as to what on earth had just happened and what on earth she was going to do about it.

 **Thank you so much for reading, let me know your thoughts in the reviews . Only a few chapers left to go :(**


	13. Ever True In Loving Be

_A/N: So sorry for the delay in getting this update out and thank you all for your patience and sticking with me as this story comes to an end (one more chapter to go). And for all your reviews and follows always really encouraging. And thank you to Jandy for keeping me going, encouraging me and helping me bounce ideas around. Best beta ever_

Chapter 13: Ever True In Loving Be.

The company took a short break before they started the final scene rehearsal for the day. Betty seized the opportunity and grabbed Jughead by the arm and pulled him into the alley near the stage exit away from the rest of the company drawing a few stares and hushed whispers from some members of the company. Archie stared daggers at her and she tried not to imagine the rumours that he would spread, or already had spread after their disaster of a date and now this.

Kevin had praised Jughead's initiative in making the scene his own but reminded him that the stage directions were there for a reason. Jughead had nodded in agreement and Betty herself nodded along furiously with Kevin as he spoke.

"What was that Jughead?" Betty asked as soon as the door slammed behind them, no need for hushed whispers in the privacy of the alley.

The self-satisfied smirk that graced his face did not go unnoticed by her. "Improvisation," he offered with a quirk of his eyebrow which had heat coiling in her belly again, her lips tingling in memory of the kiss they had shared.

"Jughead," Betty warned. "We said we were just friends. I thought that was what we agreed on." Her head was spinning. Everything was out of control. He wasn't playing by the rules. He didn't seem to care for the carefully laid out plan she had devised for them in her own head.

The plan where he left for New York and Betty kept her heart intact.

"Well, I don't remember agreeing to that." He reached out to touch her arm, and she didn't pull away. She could feel the warmth of his skin seep into her own. She wanted desperately for him to kiss her again.

"Jug," she murmured as he closed the distance his hand trailing up her arm again to cup her cheek. His eyes pierced into her own, as if breathing all of a sudden was an impossible task.

"Let me, Betts." His lips touched hers gently, a simple gesture that begged for permission to continue. Permission that she was so close to giving. "Please." His breath fanned across her lips, and it was as if the ground slipped from under her feet as she found herself clinging to his shirt, crisp white material bunched in her hands. She pressed her lips to his in a kiss that was anything but chaste. She wanted to taste him, wanted him to completely invade her senses away from prying eyes. His scent wrapped around her as she lost herself in the feeling of kissing Jughead. Jughead who had wanted to be there for her. Who had tried to be there for her. Jughead who she was falling for. Jughead who was leaving for New York. Leaving Riverdale.

Escaping. Leaving her behind.

She pulled her lips free from his. Her chest heaved as she took in his appearance. His eyes darker now than they had been before.

"I want us to be friends Jug," Betty asserted as she tried to keep the shakiness from her voice, lest it betray her own words.

"That kiss was anything but friendly, Betts," Jughead challenged, and she knew that she was on shaky ground.

"I know." Her eyes were downcast refusing to meet his gaze. "I shouldn't have." If she allowed herself to meet his eyes again she wasn't sure she would be able to maintain her resolve.

"Betts I'm falling-" He started to speak before she cut him off. She couldn't hear him say it. Not those words that would only complicate things further. That would only make it harder for her to say goodbye.

"Please, don't say it, Juggie." His finger tilted her face up so that she could no longer hide away from his stare.

"I'm falling in love with you, Betty Cooper." She closed her eyes at his words building her composure and when she opened them again all she could see was hope string back at her.

"I don't know if I can." He nodded and his kind understanding only made it hurt more.

"There's still time." He smiled softly at her and she gripped onto his hand. Her world had always been sorted out into such neat little boxes, work, the play, friends, even Archie Andrews. But, Jughead Jones didn't fit in any of them. "If that's what you need."

He let go of her hand and stepped back away from her. There wasn't time though. Betty could feel New York hanging over them like a dark shadow.

She missed the contact of his skin against hers immediately.

"Who would have thought I would be the one with unrequited love by the end of the summer," He said as he left. Betty managed to keep herself upright until he exited the alley back through the stage door. The door clicked shut and she let herself sink against the brick wall of the alley. She held her head in her hands as she tried to will the tears not to come.

He just had to say those words. Words that she had longed for so long to hear from another. Words that made her want to chase after him, cling to him and never let go. But she couldn't will her body to move.

This was it. Opening night. She had stayed up with Veronica the night before practicing their lines. Betty had avoided the subject of Jughead fairly successfully. Although Veronica had pushed her for details on that kiss on stage in front of the company with Betty laughing it off as Jughead's idea of improvisation, a joke which had been put into check by herself and Kevin. She maintained the story that they were just friends. Veronica had then mumbled something under her breath before they continued to rehearse, and Betty pretended she didn't hear it.

All she had to do was get through this performance. Smile her best Betty Cooper smile, saccharine sweet, and get on with it. It was what her mother would have told her to do if she was here. Betty was continuing her inner pep talk as she headed towards the bathroom located just past her majesty's private dressing room. She paused as she heard muffled whispers coming from inside.

"You are so naughty," A feminine voice teased.

"We could get caught you know," A male voice Betty was sure she recognised whispered back. "And we both know you don't want that." Betty heard a giggle before it was suddenly cut off and the distinctive sound of rustling clothes could be heard. Betty pushed the door open a little wider, peeking through the gap before she saw the distinctive long waves of red hair that belonged to Cheryl Blossom. Which was hardly a surprise. Much like her fellow red-haired actor, Archie, Cheryl was never lacked attention. Betty tilted her head to the side in an attempt to see who she was with, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

If she could move to the left a little more. There.

 _Wait a second._

Betty's eyes widened as she recognised a set of distinctive donkey ears perched on top of the head of the man who currently had his arms wrapped around Cheryl. Those ears belonged to Bottom, transformed due to Oberon's magic, Bottom who was being played by -

 _Dilton Doiley._

Cheryl Blossom was making out with Dilton Doiley in her private dressing room. Betty threw herself back from the door and crashed into the boxes behind her. She was stunned for a moment before she scrambled to her feet in a tangle of limbs and quickly left the hallway.. Betty could hear the voices of Dillon and Cheryl behind her as she made her exit.

As she rounded the corner she braced herself against the wall, taking in deep breaths as she tried to regain her composure. She eyed Kevin's office from across the room and entered quickly. A deep in thought Kevin looked up as she swung the door closed behind her as she braced herself up against it.

Kevin looked up with an amused smile, "You look like you've seen a ghost or something Betty. Everything okay?"

"I just saw Cheryl and Dilton making out," she let out, still somewhat in shock over what she had witnessed. Kevin seemed to take in the information before turning his attention back to whatever it was he was working on in front of him. Betty narrowed her gaze, as he hadn't responded to her revelation. Bringing him a juicy piece of gossip like this should have been the equivalent of all his Christmases coming at once, but he had barely batted an eyelid.

"Why are you not freaking out about this? You don't even look surprised."

"About Cheryl and Dilton." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand as she continued to stare at him.

"You knew?"

"Princess, I know everything that goes on in this company," he said with a smile which gave Betty a sinking feeling in her gut. If he knew about Cheryl and Dilton who had managed to at least keep their kisses behind closed doors, then he must know-

"Everything?" Betty asked timidly as she wondered just how much he did know. About them and their past.

"Yes, Betty," Kevin said with a pointed gaze. "Everything."

Betty felt a flush cross her cheeks. "You never mentioned anything."

"Well to be fair, neither did you." He held out his hand as he indicated for her to take a seat on the battered old couch that occupied his office. She glanced at the clock briefly before he indicated to the couch again. "We have time, Betty."

She took a seat and he sat next to her. She started to twist and pull the material of her dress before he stopped her taking her hands in his own.

"You knew about us? When?" Betty asked, a million thoughts raced through her mind as she recounted their conversations and when he may have known.

"The night after the closing night." A look of regret crossed Kevin's face as he shook his head. "I had been stupidly wrapped up in my own production and I didn't see that my best friend was self-destructing in front of my eyes."

"It wasn't your fault Kevin. I tried to hide it from everyone," she interrupted him. She felt his hold tightly grip her as she spoke. "I would have pushed you away. The things I was doing. I didn't let anyone see." She shuddered as she remembered her actions of that summer, what she had said to the people she loved. The ways she had treated them.

" _He_ noticed though, didn't he?" Kevin asked with a gentle smile. Jughead had noticed there was something wrong. He had wanted to help her, she could see that now. What she had seen to be a rejection had really been a concern and care. He had seen that part of her, the part of her that she kept so carefully concealed and he still wanted her.

"He's leaving," she blurted out unable to keep that piece of information just to herself anymore. "For New York, after summer break. After the play."

Kevin nodded as he mused over her words before a smile crossed his lips. "And something as inconsequential as a few hundred miles is really going to stop Betty Cooper?" She sighed as she rested back against the couch. "The girl who pursued Archie for years. Carefully conducted plans and schemes. Is going to give up because of a 3-hour train ride?" It was true. New York wasn't that far in the grand scheme of things. "Something tells me that that isn't the only reason you're holding back?"

Kevin always knew how to see through the smoke and mirrors she put up. Even the ones she believed herself. The truth was that she was scared. She was so scared of giving her heart away to someone. Someone who may not, in time, like the person she was. May not accept her for her flaws and once again she wouldn't be good enough. Falling for Jughead was not the carefully laid out plan that she had thought out for herself. It was new, it was scary but maybe that was what made it real. He had so much more potential to break her heart.

"You deserve to be happy Betty. Despite what you may think you deserve." She wanted to believe him "Maybe it's time to take a chance on someone."

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"Then it doesn't work out." He took her hands again. "And I'll be right here, and we can work it out together."

She gave a slight nod wishing that she had Kevin's confidence in herself. Confidence enough to take that leap.

"So Cheryl and Dilton?" Betty changed the subject to something more comfortable, the names still sounding foreign on her tongue together.

"Yeah, seriously you guys do not make my job easy at all," Kevin said with a smile, while he nudged Betty playfully.

She nudged him back, "You can handle us."

"Sometimes I think I'm the only one who could."

He was probably right.

The Company were now in full costume, standing in a circle, the final pep talk before they took to the stage. Kevin advised them to take each other's hands and Betty felt Jughead's hand take hers immediately while Archie who was stood next to her swapped places with Veronica. Betty rolled her eyes as she took Veronica's hand instead. Kevin gave a rousing speech which Betty knew she should be listening to but all she could concentrate on was the feeling of Jughead's hand in her own. The way he squeezed it gently, a thumb brushing against the back of her hand which she wasn't sure was intentional or not.

"So go out there and make me proud and have some fun." The company released each other's hands while Jughead held onto hers for just that little bit longer. "But not too much fun," Kevin added pointing a finger squarely at Jughead, who gave a mock salute in response, while Betty hid her face behind her hand.

"So this is it then?" Jughead's voice from behind her startled her and she turned to face him.

"We made it."

"Without killing each other." There was a teasing lilt in his voice that made Betty smile.

"Well, it was touch and go for a little while there. But I wouldn't want to disappoint Kevin. He already had to replace your role once."

"Yeah, then he would have been really desperate and would have had to get Tom the Barista to take my place."

"Don't you sell Tom short," Betty said in mock offense. "He may be very talented for all we know." She enjoyed these moments with Jughead- when she got to see him smile, when she could let herself go. "I'm going to miss this."

"Miss this?"

Betty's eyes widened in panic at his question. "When - uh - the play's over," she said quickly, her eyes not able to meet his own. Jughead didn't seem to pick up on anything or at least he didn't mention it. "We won't be spending nearly every day together. Rehearsing."

"Enough chit-chat. Places, people." Kevin's voice thundered across the stage making several members of the company jump including Betty herself.

"Good luck out there." Betty smiled as she took a deep breath.

"Break a leg," Jughead responded with a grin, "that's what you actor types say, right?"

Betty shook her head. "Careful don't want anyone else thinking you're one of us."

"You're not so bad," Jughead's gaze hovered over to where Archie was leaning up against the wall, speaking quietly to Veronica. "Most of you."

Betty gave him a gentle push in the direction of the theatre's wings as the first actors to grace the stage made their way to their positions.

Betty stood at the side of the stage waiting in the wings until her next scene. The play was going well so far, the opening night jitters were starting to wear off as the actors came into their own confidence. The sheer terror that could be induced by a full crowd in the audience was something that a dress rehearsal could never prepare you for. There had been some muffled lines, some trips but it was coming together now. She could tell by the smile that graced Kevin's face that the night was turning out to be a success and Betty couldn't help the rising pride within her that they had managed to pull it off. Despite the loss of a key actor, training a novice and the cast's own personal issues something good had come out of it. She watched past the scene of Dilton and Cheryl to see Jughead stood over near one of the film students who had been assisting with the sound. He pointed to the soundboard in front of him, as Dilton delivered his lines, the student nodded along with his words. He and Dilton had taken it in shifts to assist the students and the bare boned technical crew to maintain the production.

Her attention drew back to the performers her eyes following every movement of the two. Cheryl looked beautiful laid out on the paper mache log that the techies had spent the night working on repairing after Dilton had put his foot through it during their last dress rehearsal the day before. The shriek that had left Kevin's mouth when it had happened had been unholy.

 ** _"_** _What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?"_ Cheryl stretched out her arms above her head, a flick of her wrists gave her hands an extra flourish that was so Titania and Cheryl rolled into one.

Her voice was silvery and smooth as she spoke, a tone that was in contrast to her usual demanding and condescending one. Dilton continued to sing, badly, his lines and Betty had not yet been able to work out whether this had been intentional or not.

 _"The finch, the sparrow and the lark,_ _The plain-song cuckoo gray,_ _Whose note full many a man doth mark,_ _And dares not answer nay;-_ _for, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish_ _a bird? who would give a bird the lie, though he cry_ _'cuckoo' never so?_

Jughead from across the stage seemed to be enjoying Dilton's performance as well as he covered his mouth with his hand his shoulders shaking in laughter. Cheryl rose from her seat on the log and moved across to Dilton placing a hand on his cheek, before running it up to play with his fake donkey ears.

 _"I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:_ _Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note;_ _So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape;_ _And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me_ _On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee."_

From her position Betty could see Cheryl's smile. One that could almost be considered genuine. Could it be even Cheryl Blossom had found love? With Dilton Doiley of all people! Crazy!

 _"Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that:"_ Dilton responded jovially, _"and yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days;"_

Dilton's words as Bottom echoed in her mind. Throwing herself into something with Jughead was irrational. It was not the Betty Cooper thing to do. He was not who her mother would have chosen. He wasn't who she would have chosen at first glance either. But the way he had held her that night when her mother passed away, how he still tried to save her even after she had pushed him away… he made her happy. Happier than she had been in a long time. The happiest she had been since she had come back to Riverdale.

She had been looking for a reason to take this chance, she had been looking for reason in a place in her heart where none existed. Love wasn't reasonable, it couldn't be planned, it couldn't be explained. It just was.

And Betty was, despite all her better judgement, in love with Jughead Jones.

It could blow up in her face. She could have her heart broken and miss him every day while he was in New York. But it was worth it. For those moments when she felt on top of the world, loved, it was worth any heartache that may come.

 _"Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!"_ Cheryl's shout brought her back to the performance and she quickly moved to the side as the trio of fairies ran past her onto the stage.

Her eyes met Jughead's from across the stage as he gave her a little wave. She waved back, sure that her smile mirrored his own. What she felt wasn't rational, but it could just be love.

He was standing so close now as the curtain fell for the final time, the sound of applause thundering from behind the curtain. Betty could feel the elation of the performance overwhelming her. Jughead stood next to her his hand still firmly clasped in her own from their bows to the audience. She squeezed it tighter and he looked down at her. He shot her a questioning look as she reached up to straighten his collar. An excuse for a chance to get closer. The buzz continuing to course through her veins as she gave a final tug on the material. They had done it. Together.

Betty pulled at the back of his neck as she bent his lips down to her own. She swallowed any protests as her lips moved against his. His surprise didn't last for long before he moved against her. His arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her flush against his body as their lips continued to collide.

Jughead pulled away, "Betty, I thought…"

It all came out in a rush. "I don't care that you are moving to New York. I want to try to make this work. If I have to spend three hours on a train, a bus I don't care-"

"What? How did you?" A look of surprise crossed his face before a heavy sigh "JB." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to-" He looked away, Betty put her hand on his cheek as she pulled him back to face her.

"It wasn't her fault, Juggie. I went to the bar, the night that we talked and she told me."

"I didn't want this thing, New York, hanging over us. I didn't want to give you a reason to bail out."

"Jug, I was scared. I've had this carefully laid out plan for years. But then you happened and I think maybe it's time to live my life instead of just waiting for it to happen."

He looked at her face, trying to read something on it before he softly said, "Come with me."

Betty stared at him. Go to New York with him? New York, her dreams, before life got in the way, they could be within her reach again. But, she had so much going on here.

"I have school and -"

He pulled her body against his again for another kiss and Betty could feel her doubts and fears being washed away as his lips press against her own. That small part of her reminding her that she deserved this. That she deserved to take a chance on her own happiness.


	14. Adieu, Adieu, Adieu

_**A/N: Here we go, the final chapter. It has been amazing to be able to share this story with all of you, and although I am sad to say goodbye to these characters I am excited for my my new works to come. Thank you to Jandy, my awesome beta, problem solver and Juggie whisperer.**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoy!**_

 _Chapter 14: Adieu, Adieu, Adieu_

Betty looked around the empty space which had once been her home. All that remained now were a few pieces of furniture and some boxes to be packed into the moving truck. She had thought about selling, letting this piece of her go, but in the end, she couldn't part with the place which had been her safe haven for so long.

Her tenants were due to move in the following week, bringing their own belongings to fill the empty shelves where her own had once been.

"You got many more?" Kevin's voice shouted down from the front door and Betty turned to see his red face poking around the edge of the door frame.

Betty tapped the box next to her with her foot, "Just this one."

Kevin's eyes looked at the box sitting under the breakfast bar, before looking back to Betty. "That looks heavy, I'll let Adonis handle it." Kevin entered the apartment and Betty handed him a water bottle. Ever the conscientious host, even as she was moving.

"Where is he anyway?" Betty asked as Kevin took large gulps of water. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt.

Kevin moved over to her window and looked out at the sidewalk beneath them. "Pretty sure he and Veronica were making out against the moving truck, at least they were the last time I checked." He took a sip as his eyes scan the outside. "Yep, there they are." He leaned further out the window and shouted down to them, making Betty flinch at the volume of his voice. "Do I need to get a hose, you two?"

Betty stifled a giggle with her hand, imagining Veronica and her beau jumping apart from one another in surprise. She was happy for her new friend.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Betty said as the emptiness of her apartment began to overwhelm her. Riverdale had been home for so long, it was comfortable and familiar. Here she had Kevin, her school, that cafe near the theatre with the barista who always made her coffee sweet enough. She took a deep sigh and braced herself against the counter, as she wondered if she was making a mistake, her head bowed, she lifted it when she felt Kevin's hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him as he smiled down at her. "I know you can do this, Betty." Kevin pulled her in for a tight hug. "Besides, I expect regular updates on how things are, and I am coming up to visit so we can go to Broadway plays and just geek out together."

"As long as you don't try to rope Jughead and me into one of your Dungeon and Dragons play-throughs." Betty had played once, along with a reluctant Moose as Kevin had excitedly taken them on an adventure through the Kingdoms of Kalamar.

"Hey!" Kevin said in mock offense. "I think Jughead may just enjoy that." Betty chuckled at the thought of them sitting around the New York apartment, playing and felt a little relieved at how content and excited it made her feel. That it could be a new start, a better one. And if she didn't take this leap, this chance how would she ever know?

"Alright, where's the last one?" Reggie's voice called from the doorway, as Veronica clung to his side.

Betty pointed to the last box near her feet, "Here."

Reggie picked up the box with ease and sent a wink to Veronica at his display of strength who responded by rolling her eyes before her eyes drifted to admire the view.

Veronica and Reggie had been an unexpected hook up at the closing night party held at the Whyte Wyrm. Archie had continued his pursuit of Veronica, however, after a slightly lengthy conversation, Veronica had given him the cold shoulder the rest of the night. Betty was pretty sure it would have been the first closing night since he had joined the company that he hadn't gone home with someone.

Betty had always thought there was a little more to Reggie than met the eye. He wasn't _her_ cup of tea but there was something there. And he was kind to Veronica, treated her well and that was all she could ever want for her new friend. A friend who was now making her own life and settling down in Riverdale.

"Are you guys sure you don't want me to come with you?" Betty asked, for what must have nee the fifth time since Reggie and Veronica had offered to drive the moving van to her new apartment.

Veronica linked her arm in hers, "We will be fine. Reggie has driven a truck before and it will be a fun road trip for us."

"Thanks, Veronica." Betty pulled her in for a hug. "For everything." The person who she had thought would be an obstacle to her happiness had become one of the catalysts for her finding the person who made her feel special. Betty had asked Veronica if she had known all along, and Veronica had merely smiled and changed the subject.

"You deserve this Betty," Veronica said as Betty released her grip. "And if that boy ever hurts you, you just tell me and I will-"

"Well let's get going Betty, you want to say something to the apartment or wave at it or-"

"Let's just go."

Kevin pulled up to the Whyte Wyrm and Betty got out. She looked up at the sign out the front, a flyer for the welcome party that was held the night before. Where she had met FP for the first time. Where she had been welcomed with open arms and condolences for her mom. Then came the stories of her mom which seemed too unbelievable to be true. It made her wonder if she had ever truly known her mother at all, whether _anyone_ had. Had her mom really been changed that much by marrying her father, never becoming the woman that she was destined to be? They'd never know now. Was that same fate awaiting Betty if she didn't take this chance? All the more reason to be brave and face her fears and meet her dreams head on with Jughead.

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now, Princess," Kevin said breaking Betty out of her own thoughts.

Betty felt a sadness welling up in her. She knew she had to go, had to take this chance, but saying goodbye to Kevin was harder than she thought that it would be. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as he pulled her in for another hug, gripping her tightly as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Her breath hitched as she stifled a cry.

"Don't you start. You'll get me going."

Betty could tell from his voice that it was too late for that and gripped him as tight as she could.

"You - you'll come up to see me, and I'll be back to visit," she mumbled into his sweater and could feel him nodding along with her.

"And you will be back for the next production."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

"Good. Because I have this part that is just perfect for Jughead and I'm sure the only way I will get him back on that stage is if you are there with him."

"Hey," Betty slapped him gently on the shoulder before wiping her eyes with her sleeve, sure that her mascara was already smudged.

"Kidding." Kevin gave her shoulder one last squeeze before he made a move to return to the car. "I'm going to miss you, Betty."

"Me too," Betty said as she watched Kevin get into the car, pulling the visor down to check himself before he started the car. He gave her a final wave as the car pulled away from the curb and she continued to wave until the car rounded the corner and was no longer in sight. She gripped the strap of the overnight bag over her shoulder and made her way inside the Whyte Wyrm.

The two Jones men were huddled over the bar, a number of books and a laptop between them. They both looked up in her direction as she entered, with Jughead quickly moving over to take the bag from her.

"Thanks," she said as Jughead pressed a quick kiss against her lips and Betty felt the blush spread across her cheeks. Her body still went into overdrive every time they touched.

"Hey," he murmured as he pulled away, adjusting the strap of the bag on his own shoulder.

"Hey," she responded, willing her blush to die down when she remembered that FP was here as well. "Hi, Mr. Jones," she said with a quick wave.

"Hi, Betty, and it's FP remember?"

"Sorry, FP," Betty corrected.

Jughead led Betty over to the bar. "We were just going over a few final things before-"

"Yeah, Jughead thinks that I never ran a bar before," FP interjected placing his hand on Jughead's shoulder.

"I'm just bringing you up to speed on a few changes we have made since you -" an awkward pause filled the space "left."

"I was incarcerated Jughead. But, I think I have it under control and you guys should get going before it gets too late in the day. You don't want to be moving in at night time."

"There's just this-" Jughead grabbed for one of the books before FP took hold of the other end.

"I've got it Jughead, and I have JB, and I have no doubt that you will be back down here next weekend to check up on me and your baby." Jughead seemed to consider this before letting out a sigh, as he released the book.

"Okay, but if anything happens."

"I will call," FP said in a tone that made Betty think that they had been over this a number of times. "Now you two get going." Betty made her way to the bar and gave FP a hug as he stiffened against the action before hugging her back. "You take care of him for me," FP whispered to her and Betty gave a quick nod before stepping back.

They exited the Whyte Wyrm through the back exit and headed towards the old pickup truck that was sitting in the small parking lot. The tarp was pulled over what Betty guessed were Jughead's belongings. Betty had the majority of the furniture that would be needed for the small loft apartment they had decided to rent. She had hesitated, at first, when he had suggested that they move in together, but Betty knew what she felt and needed to trust that feeling in her gut. Her mind began to imagine waking up to him each morning, exploring the city together and she knew then that she didn't want it any other way.

Jughead lifted the tarp and placed Betty's large bag inside before securing the tarp again. Betty's stomach twisted as she realized that this was it. She was leaving Riverdale.

"Hey, you okay?" Jughead's arm wrapped around her and she let herself be pulled into his side.

"It's just," Jughead's hand moved to her shoulder, his thumb rubbing soft circles against her sweater. She thought of the play's final words, uttered by the mischievous Puck, just before the curtain fell.

 _That you have but slumbered here_

 _While these visions did appear._

 _And this weak and idle theme,_

 _No more yielding but a dream,_

It had felt like a dream, even packing her boxes, staring at the bare shelves, saying goodbye to Kevin. But now, as she looked at the truck and felt Jughead's touch warm against her-

"It's starting to feel real."

"You've got this Betts." He took her face in his hands, and she looked into his eyes. "We both do. Together."

 _Gentles, do not reprehend._

 _If you pardon, we will mend._

If this was a dream, then it was one she did not to wish to wake from. There was nothing left to mend. Nothing to apologise for, she had found her happy ending.

She stood up on her tiptoes to close the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. Together. This feeling was something that she could get used to.


End file.
